Courtney Klein

He fell into a depression pretty quick after that, which is pretty normal.

I spent those last two summers before I had moved working multiple jobs and just helping out where I could, you know.

And I was dating my now husband who lived in Maryland.

Um, so we were about five hours apart.

I dated him for most of my senior year.

And then when I graduated, I, the next day moved to Maryland to be with him.

I think subconsciously I thought that like,

some distance from the constant surgeries the pain would help somehow like me having some distance from that but i was still like struggling like carrying some some guilt from that and like

I also, like, had a new guilt that, like, I just left my family.

My dad, you know, still, he had more surgeries after that.

It was a lot, you know.

But I was trying to build a life independently.

I felt like I needed to do that.

But it was, like, shortly after I had left, addiction and depression just became his identity.

Like, it was...

It was like a very quick downfall, I feel like.

And I mean, I can't even blame him because I'm like, if I was sitting in a chair all day long, can't do the things that I used to do, can't pull my bow back.

He was an avid hunter.

He was a golfer.

He can't do any of the things that he loves anymore.