Below Deck star, Captain Lee Rosbach talks about honoring his late son Joshua’s legacy and meeting with congress for stricter drug laws.
It’s been two years since Captain Lee and his wife Mary Anne lost their son Joshua Rosbach to a drug overdose at the age of 42. The captain has been sharing the heartbreaking story of Joshua’s struggle with addiction in hopes of helping others.
As Below Deck Season 9 gets ready to hit airwaves, Captain Lee opened up about honoring Joshua. The stud of the sea is also taking his son’s story to congress to help prevent other families from suffering the loss the Rosbach family did.
How is Captain Lee honoring son Joshua’s legacy?
In an interview with E! News to promote Below Deck Season 9, Captain Lee revealed his plans for a rehabilitation center in Joshua’s name. It won’t be just any old rehab facility either. The center will be on a barge that will be called Joshua Lee.
“It’s a rehabilitation center I’ve been working on that will be on the water, on a barge, that will be not just a rehab but a vocational center,” the captain explained. “It will be able to accommodate 200 patients, and when they finish the rehabilitation part of their stay, however long that takes, they will learn a skillset and leave with a vocation.”
Captain Lee shared the barge is nearly finished, but the funds still need to get approved. Dealing with all the red tape to get the center up and running has been another issue for the captain.
“Lawmakers should do more to assist in getting these things done. Drug addiction shouldn’t be political,” he shared.
Below Deck’s Captain Lee to meet with congress
The Below Deck star also revealed he will meet with congress next week. Captain Lee and Florida Congressman John Rutherford are participating in a congressional roundtable with Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force.
“They called my son’s death an accidental overdose. It wasn’t. It was an accidental poisoning. He didn’t know there was fentanyl in the pill he was taking. Dealers just put it in there because it’s cheap. They manufacture pills laced with fentanyl, and they don’t know what they’re doing, and people end up dead,” Captain Lee shared with the entertainment website.
Not usually one to embrace fame, Captain Lee hopes his Below Deck success helps shine a light on the urgency of this issue.
Captain Lee Rosbach knows his family is only one of thousands who lost a loved one to a drug overdose; that’s why he’s headed to congress. The Below Deck star intends to keep telling his family’s tragic story until laws are changed.
The stud of the sea is also creating a unique rehab facility in his late son Joshua’s name to help those struggling with addiction.
Below Deck season 9 premieres on Monday, October 25 at 9/8c on Bravo.