“HE LOST HIS SON TO ADDICTION… THEN FOUGHT HIS WAY BACK FOR ONE MORE CHANCE AT BEING A FATHER”

When Brad Sinkhorn first picked up alcohol while serving in the Army in 1990, it didn’t seem dangerous.

It felt normal.

Everyone around him was drinking. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. He simply wanted to belong.

What he never imagined was that years later, alcohol would nearly cost him everything—including his son.

For a long time, Brad convinced himself he didn’t truly have a problem. Even after his youngest son, K.C., was taken into custody in 2013, he continued drinking heavily and eventually turned to drugs as well. The pain of losing his child didn’t stop the addiction—it fueled it.

Still, Brad managed to complete the requirements necessary to regain custody. From the outside, it appeared he was doing everything right. K.C.’s mother failed to complete her case plan, while Brad complied with his. Eventually, his little boy was returned to him.

For a brief moment, life felt hopeful again.

Then came the night that changed everything.

In October 2014, while intoxicated, Brad fell down the stairs carrying K.C. to bed. His son suffered a fractured skull and had to be airlifted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

The guilt was crushing.

Soon after, K.C. was removed from his care once again and placed back into foster care.

That was the beginning of what Brad now calls his true rock bottom.

He spiraled deeper into addiction, isolation, and hopelessness. Court-ordered breathalyzers, counseling, and supervision didn’t stop him. Like many addicts, he learned how to manipulate the system while continuing to drink.

But beneath the excuses was a man drowning emotionally.

He no longer felt worthy of being a father—or even worthy as a person.

Then, just before Christmas in 2014, someone finally confronted him in a way that broke through.

His case manager, Mandy Lickteig, visited his home and refused to ignore what was happening. She sat in front of him and spoke honestly about his addiction, his choices, and the future he was risking.

Brad broke down crying and even told her to leave.

She stayed.

And that moment became a turning point.

Shortly afterward, Brad entered rehab at Valley Hope in Kansas on January 22, 2015. For the first time, something finally clicked. He began to believe that maybe he wasn’t beyond saving. Maybe he could still become the father his son deserved.

Recovery was not instant or perfect.

Even after rehab and sober living, Brad relapsed while only weeks away from regaining full custody. He lost overnight visits and spent 20 more days drinking before finding the strength to start over again.

But this time, he didn’t quit on himself.

He surrounded himself with sober support, returned to recovery meetings, rebuilt his life piece by piece, and kept fighting for his son.

Then came the day he had dreamed about for years.

April 1, 2016.

K.C. came home.

Today, Brad continues attending recovery meetings and openly sharing his story because he knows someone else may be where he once was—lost, ashamed, and convinced they can’t change.

His message is simple but powerful:

Recovery is possible, but it requires honesty, surrender, support, and daily commitment.

Brad now says that everything in his life depends on keeping his priorities in order: God first, recovery second, family third. Because he understands that without sobriety, everything else eventually falls apart.

On August 11, 2018, Brad celebrated 1,000 days sober.

Not because life suddenly became easy.

But because he chose, every single day, to keep fighting for the life—and the son—he almost lost forever. 💙