Friends,
I'm not one to share my personal business too much in a forum like this, but this time I will make an exception.
On Friday morning, November 27, 2020 we lost our 23-year-old son, Cary, to suicide. Cary was an exceptional young man: valedictorian of his HS class, a 4.0 honors electrical engineering student in his final year at UK, good-looking, and extremely well-liked by all who knew him. He was the type of person that others gravitated towards, whether that was others his age who had few friends or his younger cousins who always wanted to play with him at family gatherings. He was very polite, encouraging, and always helping those who needed a hand up. He set the bar high for his dreams and ambitions and worked very hard to achieve them. He also did the same for those in his circle, always encouraging them to be their very best.
In spite of all this, Cary was dealing with bouts of depression. The first major incident occurred when he had to cut short his exchange student program in Germany due to the Covid situation in the spring. He bounced back over the summer, and then experienced a relationship failure during the fall term that really knocked him down. Despite our repeated efforts to get him to see a counselor or therapist, Cary insisted that he could manage things on his own. Apparently, the pain became more than he could stand, and he sought the only way out that he could see.
As a way to honor his legacy, we intend to set up a memorial fund to promote mental health awareness and treatment for students at UK. If anyone would be interested in contributing to that fund, please email me at bdbrown66@gmail.com and I will contact you with further details when everything is in place.
Lastly, hug your kids more, let them know you love them, and do everything you can to help them navigate the struggles of life. You never know when the last time will be.
This is a picture of Cary at Octoberfest in Munich, Germany last fall. Our loss is beyond words.
Brian
I'm not one to share my personal business too much in a forum like this, but this time I will make an exception.
On Friday morning, November 27, 2020 we lost our 23-year-old son, Cary, to suicide. Cary was an exceptional young man: valedictorian of his HS class, a 4.0 honors electrical engineering student in his final year at UK, good-looking, and extremely well-liked by all who knew him. He was the type of person that others gravitated towards, whether that was others his age who had few friends or his younger cousins who always wanted to play with him at family gatherings. He was very polite, encouraging, and always helping those who needed a hand up. He set the bar high for his dreams and ambitions and worked very hard to achieve them. He also did the same for those in his circle, always encouraging them to be their very best.
In spite of all this, Cary was dealing with bouts of depression. The first major incident occurred when he had to cut short his exchange student program in Germany due to the Covid situation in the spring. He bounced back over the summer, and then experienced a relationship failure during the fall term that really knocked him down. Despite our repeated efforts to get him to see a counselor or therapist, Cary insisted that he could manage things on his own. Apparently, the pain became more than he could stand, and he sought the only way out that he could see.
As a way to honor his legacy, we intend to set up a memorial fund to promote mental health awareness and treatment for students at UK. If anyone would be interested in contributing to that fund, please email me at bdbrown66@gmail.com and I will contact you with further details when everything is in place.
Lastly, hug your kids more, let them know you love them, and do everything you can to help them navigate the struggles of life. You never know when the last time will be.
This is a picture of Cary at Octoberfest in Munich, Germany last fall. Our loss is beyond words.
Brian
