06/03/2026
The Prisoner’s Hope
This week I was contacted by Norton’s and was asked to be an “end of life” advocate for one of our guys.
The visits were difficult as imagined, and sad.
Thirty nine years of incarceration and now chained and cuffed to a hospital bed - dying.
Joe asked me only one thing, if I’d write a legacy letter and share it on my
Social media.
An Urgent Message & Legacy from Joe knight
For those who know Joe Knight, or for anyone who needs to hear this today:
Joe has been incarcerated for 39 straight years. Today, I am writing, not just as his friend, but as his appointed end-of-life advocate. Joe is currently in serious medical condition, and he is preparing to face the Kentucky State Parole Board for the fourth time.
Over the last four decades, Joe has changed considerably. He has lived a committed Christian life for at least 30 of those years. Sadly, as happens too often in long-term incarceration, much of his family has either passed away or drifted apart.
With his health failing, Joe asked me to share a final legacy message with the world. He wants his life—and his regrets—to serve as a turning point for someone else.
His message to you is simple but profound: > "Our decisions impact not only our days, but sometimes the rest of our lives. They also impact family, others and well, “Sometimes they impact people we are not even aware of.
Joe asked me to share this specific poem by Richard Shelton, which perfectly captures the weight of the choices we make when we are young:
Certain Choices
By Richard Shelton
My friend, who was a he**in addict, is dead and buried beneath trash
and broken bottles in a prison field.
He died, like he lived: hard and alone.
He lived a life of suffering and died the same.
After enough choices are made, there remains fewer each day. For the ones made in brokenness hem us in.
That’s just
the way it is with certain choices,
and we are faced with them.
I have few friends, and none of them are replaceable. That’s the way it is
with friends. We make certain choices.
Please keep Joe in your thoughts and prayers - as he faces the parole board and navigates his health battle.
If this message touches you, please share it.
At least we can make Joe’s end of days hopes come true ..
