Editor’s note: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A grieving Staten Island family is advocating for new state legislation that would require patients to return unused prescription medications before receiving new doses.
The push follows the death of their 21-year-old son and brother, Johnny Fish, who ended his life on Wednesday, July 30, after taking leftover pills that had accumulated following changes to his dosage.
His death prompted his older sister, Hope Rice of Willowbrook, and their mother, Kimmarie Fish of Midland Beach, to call for policy changes they believe could prevent similar tragedies.
“It wasn’t a lot of medication; it was just enough,” Rice said. “A simple law for pharmacies and mail-order prescriptions could save lives — Johnny mattered, and his story will protect others.”
Under their proposed mandate, patients would be required to return previously prescribed supplies of medication to a pharmacy or a safe disposal site before a new dosage could be dispensed. According to the mother and daughter, the policy would rely on New York’s existing medication disposal infrastructure and would not create new costs.
The family emphasized that they were not stockpiling pills and that Johnny only had three extra bottles because his dosage had recently been lowered. He and his doctors were optimistic they had managed to dial in an effective medication regimen that his family said had been helping him.
Johnny Fish, 21, was born on Dec. 26, 2003, and died on July 30, 2025, at his family’s home in Midland Beach.(Courtesy of Hope Rice)
Johnny died at 1:30 a.m. at his Midland Beach home. Because he had spent the day at the beach with his boyfriend and gone out again that night, the family initially thought he was exhausted and sleeping late into the day.
“He was at the highest point of his life when this all took place,” his mother said. Johnny had been in therapy and psychiatric treatment since age 14 and had been diagnosed with suicidal ideation.
Johnny graduated from Sea View Academy in 2022 and completed a year of prerequisites at the College of Staten Island. After taking time off, he had just registered to return to school in January, aspiring to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Heading to a job he genuinely enjoyed, he spent a year working in environmental services at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze and had recently earned his driver’s license.
He was also an active and beloved member of the college’s LGBTQ+ community. The group held an on-campus memorial for him in September. During a separate memorial at St. Christopher’s R.C. Church in Grant City, his mother said she was overwhelmed after turning around to see the outpouring of affection as the ceremony became standing room only.
Those who knew Johnny say his personality shone just as brightly in the little things he loved. A devoted fan of anything Batman-related, he also curated an extensive and eclectic music playlist and had a quirky passion for collecting decorative nutcrackers — filling shelves with an army of the whimsical and festive figures of all shapes and sizes.
“Johnny was his friends’ therapist,” his mother explained. “I leave Johnny’s phone on because his friends still text him about what they’re going through.”
Similarly, Johnny’s beloved 4-year-old cat, Houdini, will regularly sit in Johnny’s spot on the couch and linger in his bedroom, staring longingly at his photos as if waiting for him to return.
Johnny Fish and his beloved cat, Houdini. The 4-year-old feline can often be found staring longingly at photos of his late owner as if waiting for him to return.(Courtesy of Kimmarie Fish)
The family explained that medication can accumulate quickly when dosages change. Even when a drug does not work or requires an adjustment, insurance companies often automatically send refills when patients don’t need them yet.
“Whether they go up or down a milligram, they would automatically resend another 90-day supply, even if you just got a 90-day supply two weeks ago,” Fish noted. “We do not accept unlocked loaded guns lying around a home. We should not accept unlocked lethal medications lying around a home after they are medically obsolete.”
About a month after her brother’s death, Rice began researching how to propose legislation. She said she has since reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Sen. Andrew Lanza and U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and is awaiting responses. She is currently in the process of contacting other Staten Island elected officials.
The family also suggests that voluntary medication drop boxes at hospitals and pharmacies are not enough as they lack monitoring and don’t require mandatory compliance.
“If a patient already has mental health issues or suicidal ideation and you know their medication is going to be adjusted, prescriptions should be limited to a 30-day supply,” Fish said.
“If it has to be a mail order, the doctor should tell the patient, ‘Bring in the medication I just prescribed, and I will give you the new prescription.’”
Rice has started a Change.org petition to collect signatures and raise awareness. The petition can also be found by going to change.org and searching: “Johnny Fish.”
A memorial in honor of Johnny Fish sits outside his family’s Midland Beach home.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)
Johnny’s birthday was Dec. 26. His mother, speaking through tears, said moving the legislation forward would be especially meaningful as the holidays approach.
“The best Christmas gift I could get this year is to be able to give back and have his name on it so that he can continue to do what he did while he was here,” Fish said.
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Editor’s note: The Advance/SILive.com typically limits reporting on suicides to those that occur in crowded public places, involve public figures, or, in special circumstances, where there is a larger public impact. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.