DeKALB — It was nearly two years ago that I was sitting in my dorm room when I first experience one of those calls that changes your life forever.
My mom told me that my uncle had suddenly died of a heart attack.
I spent the next week flying out to Baltimore, being with family, helping my uncle’s family figure out what would come next and, in general, trying to be as supportive as I could before flying back home. My uncle’s brother, my dad, only came close to breaking down in front of me one time.