The Pursuit of Happiness Team

 

My name is Patrick Montgomery, and on January 15, 2016, I lost my best friend, Spencer Kubala, to his battle with addiction.

 

I met Spencer when I was 5 years old and for the following 17 years he and I developed an inseperable bond. Spencer and I shared the type of friendship in which you tell each other everything. A few years ago Spencer made the incredibly brave decision to share with me the beginning stages of his addiction. Though at the time I had no idea what I was signing up for, I made a promise to my friend that I would always be there for him no matter what. In the years to follow I was often called upon to uphold my end of that promise. I'd be lying if I said keeping my word was always easy, but it was always worth it. I can truly say that consistently choosing to support my friend rather than abandon him has proven to be the most important and educational decision I have ever made.

 

After losing Spencer I knew that I had to help but was unsure how. I began recalling conversations with Spencer from years earlier about a man named Chris Herren. He really admired Chris and the way he uses his story to help those who are struggling with similar battles. He even had a goal of one day speaking to kids, the way Chris does, about his journey and the dangers of addiction. I decided to reach out to The Herren Project to see if there was anything I could do and was immediately welcomed with open arms. The Herren Project does exactly what Spencer hoped to do with his own future; spread knowledge and awareness on the subject of addiction and help those are struggling with it.

 

Along with The Herren Project, I have also teamed up with the group of friends Spencer and I grew up with and his incredibly loving family. We plan to form a team, named Pursuit of Happiness after Spencer's favorite song, to run the Hershey Half Marathon in Hershey, Pa on October 16, 2016 in his honor. This event will undoubtedly be a testimony to the light Spencer brought to the lives of so many. We hope to raise as much money and awareness as possible to aid in The Herren Project's ongoing battle against addiction. Our ultimate goal is to both help those struggling with internal battles like addiction and to bring education to the world about substance abuse. We feel that it is far too acceptable in today's society to ostracize those struggling with addiction rather than supply them with the love and support they so truly need and deserve. We do not look at the loss of Spencer as a reason to give up, but a reason to fight back harder in hopes that another community does not have to lose their child, their sibling, or their best friend.

 

While raising money for The Herren Project is our objective, seeing as how a large portion of our team will be made up of college-aged students, we understand that monetary donations are not always possible. If a donation is not an option for you, we ask that you help our cause by simply never giving up on your loved ones that may be struggling. Everyone in this world knows someone who is fighting some sort of battle. Be kind to them consistently, love them unconditionally and remember to always ask how they are doing. Thank you so much.