From Katie on her fiancé, Chris: He started doing drugs and drinking when he was 14. He had some childhood trauma that he's not willing to share publicly. Also when he was 19? (Could be wrong on age) he and his best friend were robbed at a gas station in Memphis. His friend was shot and died in his arms. I believe that's when true addiction started. Not long after that. He walked in and found another good friend dead from hanging himself. Several years after that it was pretty much on and off. He tried to make amends with his life and start doing good after Hurricane Katrina hit he moved to New Orleans to help rebuild (building/ remodeling houses) what he saw there traumatized him even more. So what he thought would help him, hurt him even more. Then his dad was diagnosed with cancer so he moved back to Memphis to help his parents out which is when I met him. At that time he was drinking but not heavily and I didn't realize he was actually an alcoholic or recovering addict until I got pregnant with Corbin. He spiraled out of control and we broke up before Corbin was born and he moved back to Slidell. He came back to Memphis when Corbin was 2. We got back together and right before Corbin turned 3 we had a miscarriage and he turned to the bottle again for that. I was in the hospital, hurting, scared and by myself the whole time so I totally lost it when I came home and found him in bed with empty liquor bottles all over him. So that led to me kicking him out. Over the year we were apart we had minimal contact. He went 12 years without seeing or talking to corbin. In 2019 he contacted me again and wanted to be serious about getting his life back together said he had been sober for a while so I gave him another chance. Ever since we've been back together he has done so well. He always tells me that I'm the one who saved his life but I don't believe that. I keep telling him he had to be ready for the change and HE is the only reason he is sober. But that is something we will probably never agree on lol. When his dad died he moved in with his mom and dying aunt so that he could take care of them. So when his aunt died it was also traumatic. I'm sure there's alot that I'm forgetting but my mind is totally fucked right now. He currently doesn't have health insurance. From Jessica: Please read this, please don’t scroll past! I need help with a family. This is a woman have known since I was 13 (we were best friends) she actually let me live with her through half of high school so my mom didn’t kill me in a drunken rage. She recently found out her fiancé has metastatic stage 4 lung cancer. She is also 24 weeks pregnant with his child. They have 2 other children. One just turned 2 a few days ago and the other will be going to college next year. We are absolutely heart broken. At one point in his life he had an addiction problem, this stemmed from a lot of trauma he sustained in his youth and it later got worse when his best friend died in his arms after they were robbed in Memphis, Tn. Like Ben and I, he got clean, got his life together, brought beautiful children into this world, did all the things he was supposed to do to further his life and his family…….only to be told a few days ago that he has stage 4 lung cancer. I am asking anyone that feels led to please donate to help with medical costs as they are in limbo with his insurance company (makes too much at his job to get state provided insurance, but if he quits he will loose the chance to get short term/long term disability, and will lose his life insurance) He doesn’t have long to live and we are scrambling to get financials taken care of as Katie is 24 weeks pregnant with 2 other children to care for and the medical bills are piling up. Just $20, $10, even $5, anything you feel led to give is so very much appreciated. It will all add up. We are still in disbelief at this news and don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to reach out to my linked in community first because you guys follow us and know the kind of work we do. This situation is on a personal level and it’s heartbreaking. I’m putting this link for anyone who feels led to help. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
