text: Image copyright Hallie Twomey 
   
   In November 2013, Hallie Twomey turned to social media to ask people across the world to scatter her son's ashes. One year on CJ's ashes have been taken to more than 100 countries and have even been sent into space. 
   
   Of the many photographs you can see on the Scattering CJ Facebook page, one appears more often than any other. It is a picture of a young man, smiling into the camera, sunglasses resting on his head and wearing a Boston Red Sox T-shirt. 
   
   He is CJ Twomey from Maine in the United States - a former member of the US air force who loved to travel and loved adventure. On 14 April 2010, when he was 20 years old, CJ took his own life. 
   
   Last November, as his mother was looking at the urn filled with her son's ashes sitting on the mantelpiece, she decided that she wanted to send him on a journey. 
   
   "It dawned on me that his ashes would be sitting in that urn forever," says Hallie Twomey. "He didn't get to see the world and I wanted to give CJ something he didn't get a chance to have." 
   
   After discussing it with her husband John, Hallie set up a Facebook page asking if anyone would be willing to scatter a small amount of CJ's ashes in a place of their choosing. 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption CJ's ashes have been scattered in Machu Picchu, Peru... 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption ... and on a tea plantation in Tamil Nadu, India 
   
   At the beginning, the offers were slow to come in - Hallie and her family thought they would be lucky to get a few hundred people making contact. 
   
   But one year on, more than 9,000 people have offered to take some of her son's ashes on their travels and Hallie now has to be selective. 
   
   Find out more Hallie Twomey spoke to Weekend on the BBC World Service 
   
   She chooses people going to places that are particularly unique or where CJ's remains haven't yet been. "I wish we could involve every person that offers but we only have a finite amount of ash," says Hallie. 
   
   When someone makes contact and the offer is accepted, Hallie places a small amount of CJ's ashes into a little bag and posts it along with a letter and the photo of CJ in his Red Sox shirt. 
   
   "I ask them to let CJ know that we loved him," says Hallie. "And the thing I need people to do most for me is to tell CJ I'm sorry. Because I am - I feel I let my son down." 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption CJ's ashes have been skydiving several times, including on this occasion in Arizona 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption Scattering the ashes on sand dunes near Swakopmund in Namibia... 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption ... and from a hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey 
   
   Those who scatter CJ's ashes are asked to take a picture and send back a few words about their chosen location. The Scattering CJ Facebook page is filled with photographs from around the world - famous landmarks, snowy mountains and tropical islands all make an appearance. 
   
   Most of the photographs include the little bag of ashes and CJ's picture in the foreground - many show a small amount of ash held in someone's outstretched hand, ready to be scattered. 
   
   The page also shows an impressive list of destinations where CJ's ashes have been scattered - ranging from Alabama to Afghanistan and Cambodia to Cape Verde. 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption On the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany... 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption ... and 16m below the sea surface near the Dominican Republic 
   
   Despite so many packets being sent to so many destinations, there have been relatively few issues in getting CJ's ashes to those who wish to scatter them. 
   
   But a few envelopes have arrived at their destination damaged - some with the ashes missing. "That can be hard to hear but we decided to believe that wherever CJ's ashes ended up, that's where they were meant to be," says Hallie. 
   
   Sending cremated remains by post 
   
   Image copyright Reuters 
   
   Postal systems around the world have different rules about sending cremated human remains by post 
   
   The US Postal Service (USPS) allows the shipment of cremated remains both domestically and internationally 
   
   The Royal Mail in the UK considers human remains, including ashes, a "prohibited item" and will not transport them 
   
   If posting ashes internationally, the USPS advises to check whether the destination country permits it or if certain procedures apply 
   
   (Source: USPS / Royal Mail) 
   
   Occasionally some of CJ's ashes are returned - perhaps people have changed their minds or their travel plans have fallen through. It's something they are asked to do if they feel they can't fulfil their offer. 
   
   But it can be difficult for Hallie to receive those packets in the post. "I'm not sure why that makes me feel sad when it has always been an option," writes Hallie on Facebook. 
   
   The people who have offered to scatter CJ's ashes are from different backgrounds, age groups and nationalities. Some of them have had their lives affected by suicide or perhaps contemplated it themselves. 
   
   "Because of CJ and his journey, some people have shared with us that they no longer want to end their life," says Hallie. "We never for even one moment imagined that our son's story could save others." 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption Port Willunga Beach in South Australia 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption Overlooking Haikou City on Hainan Island in China 
   
   Image copyright Facebook/Scattering CJ Image caption One of the US Winter Olympic team offered to scatter CJ at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 
   
   Although his ashes have been scattered across seven continents including Antarctica, there are still a few locations his family would love CJ to get to - the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Galapagos Islands, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and under the ancient Angel Oak Tree in South Carolina. 
   
   CJ's journey hasn't only been confined to Earth - his ashes were part of a rocket's payload launched from the New Mexican desert in October. "It allowed our larger than life son to reach farther than we ever imagined," says Hallie. 
   
   Image copyright John Ottoway/Scattering CJ 
   
   CJ's family don't intend to send all of his ashes away - a small amount will remain at home and some have already been incorporated into jewellery for Hallie to wear. They have never measured the exact amount of ash in CJ's urn but about two thirds of what they planned to share has now been sent. 
   
   Their aim is to post the remaining third by early 2015 but there is no definite timeline. "I trust that I will know when it is time to be finished," says Hallie. 
   
   Image copyright Hallie Twomey Image caption Hallie Twomey and her son CJ 
   
   Hallie doesn't know how she will feel when the Scattering CJ project draws to a close and she sends off the last packet of CJ's ashes - but she is sure she will cry. "Mailing your child's ashes anywhere will never feel right because it's totally wrong that he's gone," she says, but she's glad she did it. 
   
   "As his Mum, my single biggest fear is that CJ will be forgotten," says Hallie. And with more than 18,000 people now following the Scattering CJ Facebook page and new offers to scatter his ashes still arriving each day, she hopes that sending CJ on this journey will keep his memory alive. 
   
   Hallie Twomey spoke to Weekend on the BBC World Service 
   
   Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. ||||| AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A Maine mother who's using social media to have her son's ashes scattered all over the world has sent him on his greatest journey yet: to space. 
   
   Using her Facebook page, which has more than 17,000 likes, Hallie Twomey has mailed hundreds of packets of her son C.J.'s ashes to strangers worldwide so they can be scattered at the many places he wasn't able to see before he died more than four years ago. 
   
   On Thursday, a rocket containing a vial of his ashes was launched into space from the desert in New Mexico. The rocket spent a few minutes in space before landing in the nearby White Sands Missile Range. 
   
   Twomey called it the perfect send off for her adrenaline-loving son, who was 20 years old when he shot himself after getting into an argument with his parents. 
   
   His ashes have been scattered in nearly all 50 states and in dozens of places overseas, including Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Denmark. 
   
   Twomey, who lives with her husband and 21-year-old son in Auburn, Maine, said that while she hasn't been able to get over her guilt, she has been touched by the kindness of strangers over the last year. 
   
   "I have never experienced such a collective sort of hug," she said. "I feel less alone, and for me that has been huge." 
   
   Twomey's ashes and those of about three dozen others were on the rocket. The roughly $1,000 to launch his ashes was paid by for by Celestis, the company that has completed 13 such memorial spaceflights. ||||| He Killed Himself After An Argument With His Mom. What She Did Next Is Unbelievable. 
   
   Hallie Twomey is living a nightmare no mother should ever have to experience. The last things she ever said to her son were spoken during an argument. On April 14, 2010, after fighting with his mother, C.J. Twomey tragically took his own life. The former member of the Air Force was only 20 years-old when he died. His ashes used to sit upon a shelf in his mother’s home, but now, she is sending him on one last adventure with the help ofFacebook. What she is doing for him is simply unbelievable. 
   
   Hallie didn’t want her son to just sit upon a shelf for her benefit. She wanted him to be able to travel the world one last time. So, this mother made a request on Facebook. She enlisted the help of others to take him to lands he never even dreamed of. At first just her friends were helping… but then after the original post was shared over 100 times, strangers began volunteering to help C.J. travel, too. At Lake Pattagansett in East Lyme, Connecticut. There are only two rules for helping scatter C.J.’s ashes. (This photo is at St. Paul’s Chapel in NYC.) 1.) They have to tell him that his mother will always love him. 2.) They have to tell him that she is sorry. (At St. Theresa’s Chapel Beach in Juneau, Alaska.) “YOU MUST AGREE TO SAY THAT,” Hallie posted on Facebook. (Near the Hollywood sign in California.) Given how Hallie and C.J. were before they were separated… (At the Gulf of Mexico.) She wants him to know, for sure, before he takes off into the world. (From Iron Mountain in California.) At Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. In Jamaica. In Plymouth, Massachusetts. At Milford Lake in Kansas. At Kalapana-Kapoho Road in Hawaii. Inside the Banyan Tree at Rainbow Falls in Hawaii. These are all of the different places that C.J.’s ashes have been scattered across the US, but they aren’t the only places. Over 150 packets of his ashes have been sent around the world. One volunteer said they would even take him to the top of Mount Everest. 
   
   This is a message from his mother, posted on the Facebook page dedicated to C.J.’s journey: 
   
   SCATTERING CJ is a labor of love. 
   
   It’s an idea born out of my broken mom’s heart following the tragic suicide of my beloved son CJ. 
   
   CJ was only 20 years old when he ended his life. 
   
   For the past three years, I have literally stumbled through life trying to wake from this horrible nightmare. I can’t change what happened although I would do anything to bring him back. 
   
   As his mom, I want nothing more than to turn back the clock and fix whatever led him to this decision…repair what was broken…give him the life he no longer has…grant him the gift of time that he’ll never know. 
   
   SCATTERING CJ is my attempt to give my son SOMETHING. It’s a mission to show my son – my crazy, life of the party, lover of people, smile so wide it entered a room before he did son – some of the world that he never got to see. It’s an effort to allow my child to forever rest in locations hand picked by caring friends, family and strangers alike. 
   
   It’s simply a chance to put my faith in mankind (a faith that has completely disappeared since witnessing my son end his life) and ask that others help me complete CJ’s final journey. 
   
   Please share this page and my mission with others if you are so inclined. So many people have already agreed to help take CJ on this journey but I truly hope many more will. This page will allow people to quickly and easily indicate that they are willing to scatter his ashes. It will also be a great way for me to share some of the pictures and video that I receive. Please feel free to comment or post as often as you’d like. Each time someone shares this page or leaves a quick note, CJ’s journey will grow. 
   
   Thank you in advance to anyone that offers to take CJ on an adventure. 
   
   I honestly can’t find words that adequately express how much I appreciate it. 
   
   Please know that you are helping my very broken mom heart deal with the worst pain I have ever and will ever face. 
   
   Share this story and help Hallie ease her pain… and maybe even help C.J. travel the world. No family should ever have to experience something like this. 
   
   Source: Scattering CJ on Facebook 
   
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   What do you think? ||||| Christopher John Twomey 1989 - 2010 "Fly High CJ" More Photos 
   
   hristopher John Twomey, known to his loved ones as CJ, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at the age of 20. He was the beloved first born son of John and Hallie Twomey, arriving on July 3, 1989 in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Following his graduation from Edward Little High School in 2007, CJ spent time proudly serving as an enlisted aircrew member in the United States Air Force, successfully earning his enlisted aircrew wings. CJ was known as a friend to all, a natural comedian and the life of the party. His smile brought joy to his friends and his family alike. He was charismatic, extremely charming and always willing to lend a hand to a friend in need. CJ never met a mirror he didn’t like – he was handsome and he knew it! He loved unconditionally and made sure those people he cared about always felt special. His zest for life and his ability to see the good in all will never be forgotten. He was and always will be the world's greatest big brother to Connor. Their relationship was something to behold. They adored one another from day one and were the best of friends. CJ loved adventure and considered himself a bit of an adrenaline junky. He loved jumping out of planes as part of his military training as well as riding roller coasters, and he appreciated fast cars. He was the first to suggest an activity and liked to be the center of attention. He was a people person from the day he was born and felt comfortable in groups of all sizes. He loved loud music and was often found dancing his way through the house. He loved to give giant bear hugs and found great pleasure in poking his family until they begged him to stop. He loved military themed movies, goofy TV shows and could quote line after line from Monty Python. CJ often talked about his love of travel and dreamed of visiting distant lanes. He adored family vacations and was a beach bum at heart. He loved flying and was game to jump on a plane and head out to locations unknown at the drop of a hat. CJ’s death at such a young age prevented him from exploring the world around him. Believing that he would rather become part of the lands he never got to see rather than spend eternity in an urn on the shelf, CJ’s mother started the Scattering CJ journey. SCATTERING CJ is a mission to show her crazy, life-of-the-party, lover-of-people, smile-so-wide-it-entered-a-room-before-he-did son some of the world that he never got to see. It’s an effort to allow her child to forever rest in locations hand picked by caring friends, family and strangers alike. It is the last final gift a heartbroken mom can give her beloved son. No matter where CJ’s ashes land on this vast planet, sending him into space will forever remain as SCATTERING CJ’s greatest accomplishment. Charles Chafer and the Celestis family have given CJ’s family a gift they can never repay. Fly high CJ. You are missed and will never be forgotten. You are truly worth remembering. ~
target: – Over the past year, CJ Twomey has been scuba diving in the waters off the Dominican Republic, flown over Turkey in a hot-air balloon, and ascended Peru's Machu Picchu. He's visited more than 100 countries, thanks to the kindness of hundreds of strangers who are helping CJ—who died in 2010 at the age of 20—see the world, the BBC reports. His mom, Hallie Twomey of Auburn, Maine, who has been guilt-ridden since CJ committed suicide four years ago after they had a fight, decided to set up the "Scattering CJ" Facebook page for her son last year to ask people around the globe to spread his ashes in "some of the world he never got to see," Worthy to Share reports. He's even been able to go to parts out of this world: In October, his ashed rode into space on a rocket as part of a Celestis memorial spaceflight, the AP reports. "It dawned on me that his ashes would be sitting in that urn forever," Hallie tells the BBC. "I wanted to give CJ something he didn't get a chance to have." She and her husband, John, anticipated a few hundred responses after their initial social-media appeal, but they've received more than 9,000 so far. Volunteers are sent a small bag of CJ's ashes, as well as a letter and a photo of the ex-Air Force member in his Red Sox shirt. Hallie asks that before they spread CJ's ashes, they tell him his mom loves him and that she's sorry. Hallie is even OK when she hears that envelopes with CJ's ashes sometimes arrive damaged or go missing due to postal problems. "We decided to believe that wherever CJ's ashes ended up, that's where they were meant to be," she tells the BBC. (Robin Williams' ashes were scattered over San Francisco Bay.)