My daughter and I were 1,500 miles away on vacation. I was on the beach when my husband called. He asked, *“Where are you?”* I replied, *“Sitting on the beach,”* and he said, *“Please go up to your room and call me back.”* I instantly knew what he was about to tell me. But as I rode the elevator upstairs, I kept making excuses in my head. I thought maybe he had overdosed but was saved in time.
I was right—but also wrong. My husband had found our 19-year-old child lifeless in his bed. This is the last photo we took together. I miss him more than words can express. We fought tirelessly to get him help. Over the last five years of his life, he cycled in and out of rehab. We did everything possible to save him, but it wasn’t enough.
*Story Credit: LaNelle Stanhope*
