Robert and I were Jr. High School sweethearts. We began dating at the age of 14 and were married at 21. We had two beautiful little boys Zach (age 12)and Trevor (age 8). Robert was a great person, so full of life, always adventerous and caring to those he loved. Shortly after we married he began taking a prescription for anxiety -- Xanax. At the beginning the medication it seemed to help control his anxiety, but as time went on it required more and more for him to feel "normal". After the death of his prescribing doctor he went to rehab to try to free himself of the prescription abuse. It didn't work. His personality began to change and he began to use other street drugs. At that time I decided I needed to divorce him and remove myself and most importantly the kids from the situation. This was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I had done all I could to help him. Following the divorce he began to drift away from the kids and eventually did not involve himself in their lives at all.
At the time of his death it had been over 4 years since we'd last seen him. It was the call I had dreaded and prayed would never come for many years of my life. He will never be forgotten, by me or his boys. I saved everything from all the years we spent together and have kept in contact with many of his friends so that someday they can tell the kids what an awesome person their dad was, before the drugs got him.