The first emotional barrier he faced was his mother dying his sophomore year of high school in the result of a car crash. In order to cope with this loss, his family took many hiking trips. It was hard for Erik to keep up because of his blindness. His brothers often had to guide him and describe scenery to him. The second emotional barrier was his brother, Mark, dying of alcoholism. Mark and Erik were very close as children. Mark was the type of brother “that would always be late” picking him up from school. Mark was the kind of brother that would do anything for his family. But when alcoholism took him over, he was a completely different person. He had a daughter who he gave up on seeing, he never accepted anyones help, and he gave up on everything. Even after all the rehab programs, Mark was never able to become sober, and he paid for it with his life. This took a huge toll on Erik, but he was able to overcome
The first emotional barrier he faced was his mother dying his sophomore year of high school in the result of a car crash. In order to cope with this loss, his family took many hiking trips. It was hard for Erik to keep up because of his blindness. His brothers often had to guide him and describe scenery to him. The second emotional barrier was his brother, Mark, dying of alcoholism. Mark and Erik were very close as children. Mark was the type of brother “that would always be late” picking him up from school. Mark was the kind of brother that would do anything for his family. But when alcoholism took him over, he was a completely different person. He had a daughter who he gave up on seeing, he never accepted anyones help, and he gave up on everything. Even after all the rehab programs, Mark was never able to become sober, and he paid for it with his life. This took a huge toll on Erik, but he was able to overcome