Chris' story | Lindy's story | Ed's story

Chris Schaadt quickly parked in his driveway in Lenexa. Police officers standing on the porch of his house tried to talk to him but he pushed his way inside.

His mother’s body lay on the floor of the living room covered by a white sheet.

Schaadt learned from his dad that she had died of cardiac arrhythmia.

The next five days swirled by with what seemed like hundreds of people flowing through his parent’s house. Plates of food brought by friends and family filled every square-inch of counter space in the kitchen.

Almost 700 people filled the Lutheran church in Lenexa where the memorial service was held. Near the front of the church, flowers surrounded a picture of his mom wearing her wedding dress. Schaadt remembers how stunningly beautiful she looked in the photo.

Two weeks later, the company and bustle were gone and Schaadt was alone with his memories. That’s when darkness set in. He was back at school — lonelier than ever. As a freshman, he sat in giant classes in Budig Hall, alone in a crowd, no one knowing what he was dealing with.

He stopped going to class. He couldn’t stand being in school. His dad thought he was going to classes, but he spent his days in his room. He withdrew from half of his classes.

The next semester wasn’t any better and he seemed to spend more time at home in Lenexa than on campus. After his semester ended with a plummeting grade point average, Schaadt transferred to nearby Johnson County Community College. He couldn’t stand to be at school in Lawrence, so he thought living at home would be better.

He was wrong.

He felt like he had nothing. No friends. No mom. No classes he wanted to go to.

He’d spend his time alone in his basement at home watching TV and playing video games.

Some days he’d hang out with the one friend he saw regularly — an ex-Marine who had a family. They’d drink beer and play video games all day.

At home in the evenings, he’d try to hide being intoxicated from his dad. When his brother and dad went to bed, he’d start drinking again and continue into the morning.

Soon, he dropped out of Johnson County Community College. The downward spiral that began with his mother’s death had ended with him out of school, searching for a job and considering the Marine Corps. He now works at Lenscrafters in Overland Park.

Chris' story | Lindy's story | Ed's story

— Edited by Joel Petterson