photo by Kala Diamond, audio and editing by Kohl Threlkeld, story by Magen McCrary

A warm summer day began like any other for Audrey Fry: morning chats with her mother, Clyeia, and picking up her lunch while she got a routine check-up at the doctor’s office. But this routine check up led to something more grave – her mother fell into a coma and never woke up.

Before her mother’s death, leaving school mid-semester in spring 2007 wasn’t Fry’s choice – it was essential. The Bowling Green junior put her dreams on hold to take care of her mother who struggled with normal activities such as walking. And her illness was still a mystery.

It was very frustrating,” Fry said. “And at the same time hopeful.”

Her high-spirited anticipation through the whole process was questioned, and she crashed. Fry paused for a moment. She gathered her thoughts, reflecting on the times she had prayed for her mother to wake up. In a moment of weakness, she wondered why she even tried.

“I decided to take time off to recover, have a grieving period,” Fry said.

Her mom was her major support system and without her encouragement, Fry couldn’t find her purpose. The most dramatic transition happened when Fry and her older sister Sonya Fry had to take custody of their younger brother, Lee Fry. He was only 17, and with no father or mother, they became each other’s support. They moved in with their pastor Johnnie Leissett and his wife Betty. Reflecting on all they had done, Fry’s face changed from an emotionless gaze to a glow.

“The pastor and his wife are a huge part of my life,” Fry said. “Of all the people, they reached out for my welfare the most.”

With her brother as her priority, Fry missed out on having a carefree life like many college students. She had to grow up. “When he got on my nerves, I use to just walk away. But I had to develop an unconditional love,” she said.

She said it’s still difficult at times but she has to help him prepare for his future and make sure he stays in school. Though Fry considered cosmetology school as an option to get back on track, she decided she had invested too much in Western to just give up.

“When it is all said and done, it is what she would have wanted,” Fry said.
It was a struggle getting back into the routine of classes last spring while balancing family duties, she said.
“I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off!” Fry exclaimed.

Though it will take longer to graduate than she had planned, Fry focused on getting her grade point average back up to par, making the Dean’s List last semester. She said she wants to be a positive light for other people.

“Not having two parents, being a family on your own – you can still do it. There is no excuse, there should be no obstacle that is too great that you can’t overcome,” Fry said. “That’s what I am living and learning on.”

Junior Audrey Fry holds a photo of herself with her mother, Clydia Fry, who passed away in the summer of 2007. After taking a year off from school, Audrey returned to Western last semester to study Forensics. Fry says her mother would have wanted her to get an education. “Through it all you can still do it, I’m living and learning now.”