LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An Arkansas family is grieving over the death of their 23-year-old son, and wanted his obituary to send a message about the "demon and disease" of drug addiction.
Suzanne and Rory Tipton told KTHV that on the outside, their son, Nicholas Kellar, appeared to have it all. He was smart, handsome, funny and caring. But as a teenager, Nicholas was diagnosed with an immune disorder that required repeated treatments and caused pain, fatigue and depression. It was around that time that his opiate addiction began. The Tiptons supported all forms substance abuse treatment that Nicholas sought, and said that Nicholas had been clean for about two years before his accidental overdose death on April 14.
Suzanne and Rory decided to share their family’s story to show people that the battle their son was fighting was a battle being fought by many others.
Posted by THV11 on Tuesday, April 25, 2017
The Tiptons revealed these details in the personal, touching obituary, in hopes of helping other families who are battling addiction. They said that they wanted to share their son's long battle with drug addiction "not to dishonor his memory, but to shine a light on this epidemic that is ruining so many young adult lives."
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