A World Without Erik

It seems odd, really. You think you'll be with your siblings until the end...Long after your parents have moved on to Heaven, even longer after our grandparents have left this earth. What you don't expect is to lose the bond of unconditional love (or as I like to call it, unconditional tolerance) known as siblinghood. 

It's been 5 long years since I last spoke with, hugged, saw, or ruffled my brother's hair. That fateful day on October 6, 2009 when I was studying for my medical school exams, and I got the horrific phone call from my mother screaming. My brother had committed suicide. Losing a long-suffering battle to Bipolar Depression, the world lost a shining star that day, and God gained an angel.

I still cry when I miss him. I still shudder and look away when movies or television shows show suicides by gunshot. I cringe internally when I see people jokingly put their hands in the shape of a gun to their head.

I love you, Erik.

October 6, 2010 - The Year Without My Brother

October 6, 2011 - Two Years Later

October 6, 2013 - Four Years Without My Brother

Today, please tell your loved ones how much they are loved!