Remembering Bob Leibbrand

On 1/6/2021 my family received the call that my little brother was not going to wake up from his drug induced coma. On 1/7/2021 he lost his battle to addiction.  

He fought this demon for 10 years. He was in and out of rehab for the last 5 years. He tried very hard the last few years but it wasn’t enough to save him. He was one of my best friends.  Our world is forever changed because of this tragedy. Our family struggled together and watched him suffer for so long. The hardest part about addiction as a family is watching someone you love destroy themselves in front of you.

I can tell you, he didn’t want to be an addict. He would tell me all the time he wished he could stop and he wished he wasn’t an addict but he didn’t know how to be anything else. None of this takes away from how good of a person he really was at heart. The memories we have as a family and as siblings will remain with me forever.

I have heard the most heartwarming stories over the last few days about how kind Bob was and how much he helped others while in rehab. It truly is amazing. I have now have made it my mission to bring awareness to addiction the best I can and give back to the rehab center that helped him for so long. My goal is to get people to talk about the impacts of addition. We have to stop shaming the addicts and the families along with them. No one chooses this path on purpose. 

In lieu of flowers or a memorial service we have decided to raise as much money as we can for Valley Hope Atchison. This is the addiction and rehab center he was in and out of for two years in Kansas City.

https://valleyhope.org/ 

These folks went above and beyond for him as well as our family. I would love to show them support and help them help other addicts in their recovery. The goal is togive to those who otherwise could not afford help. 

I know Bob would love this and I know he helped anyone he could even though hewas struggling himself. The people who hurt the most usually try to help everyone else around them. He had a huge heart and it shows. He would love to see how many people loved and cared about him. 

In a world that is so currently volatile, let’s make a difference in Bobs honor.

Thank you for all the kind words we have received.

Much love and stay safe,

The Leibbrand family