Mental Health

Brandon Michael Steele

January 7, 1998-February 12, 2019

Photos by author (2016–2018); Brandon on a family trip to Alaska, hiking with his dad in NC, and holding his aunt’s cat in Arizona.

Who was Brandon Michael Steele?

My youngest son, Brandon, was a kind and sensitive son, a loyal friend, a caring little brother, a talented artist, and a First Amendment advocate; in fact, when he was just 14 he developed his own website defending free speech in China, writing articles and earning money through advertisers who believed that he was an adult.

But Brandon also lived with extreme depression and anxiety.

A mere month after his 21st birthday, Brandon lost his battle with depression. Going off his meds, and just trying to feel better, he accidentally overdosed. His older brother, Bradshaw, found him. As you can see, many lives were shattered, not just my own.

I penned this piece, Did You Ever See the Light, a couple of years after Brandon passed:

I dream that you are two again
Soft on my lap beg for a swim
The slide invites us to climb up
Then abruptly I wake up.

Memories fade as time proceeds
Hoping you still think of me
Eyes like windows in grey night
Did you ever see the light?