I have many cousins on both sides of my family. But there is one cousin in particular whom I have always been closest to. His name is Kevin, and he is older than me. Having this closeness with my cousin allows us to really connect and bond together. He introduced me to new ideas and beliefs that I would never have discovered on my own. Without his guidance it would have been more difficult for me to grow up and become who I am today. .
And that's why it was very upsetting to find out that Kevin, while away at college, had been experimenting with drugs which eventually led to him becoming addicted to heroin. One time, after taking some heroin, his veins collapsed, and he ended up in the hospital. When I found this out, my heart dropped because I realized that I could lose someone very important in my life. I became very upset, and to make it worse, I was not going to be able to see him for a while. I didn't know this at the time, but after Kevin was released from the hospital, he went into rehabilitation to get his life back on track. Finally, my mom told me what was going on with Kevin and that he was having a successful recovery in rehab. This news made me feel a lot better about the situation. .
After his time at rehab, I was able to see Kevin again. As excited as I was to see him, I was also scared. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if he would be the same as he used to be. Taking drugs like heroin can have a serious effect on your body and brain. I learned this from Kevin. He ended up being pretty much the same, but I could tell that he was embarrassed about what happened, and he didn't want to talk about it too much. Some time after that, I asked Kevin to be my sponsor at my Confirmation. This was important for us because it reconnected our relationship, and it helped him interact with me normally. My uncle told me that it meant a lot to Kevin that I had chosen him to be my sponsor.
