Sometimes life really lets you have it before cutting you some slack, Astros catcher Evan Gattis’ story is an emotional rollercoaster of painful battles against homelessness, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and other obstacles from which he could not always keep his head above water, but with this victory, the healing process can now start.
The talent has always been there, but Gattis struggled greatly to be able to live up to his potential, back in High School he was already considered one of the top catchers in youth baseball and it was on everyone’s mind that he would soon be playing in the major leagues, however after graduating and earning his catcher position with Texas A&M Aggies, his life took a turn for the worse as he became paralyzed by crippling anxiety and substance abuse, his dream of becoming a professional player now seemed only as wishful thinking after he had to check himself into a drug and alcohol rehab clinic.
Can we get an Evan Gattis movie? That man is a hero. He overcame depression, drug/alcohol issues and became a champion. That’s beautiful.
— Kyle J. Andrews (@KyleJAndrews_) November 2, 2017
His father, Jo Gattis, told ABC13 about those dark days he went through with his son “[Evan] looked me in the eye and he said, ‘I don’t want to talk baseball anymore, I’m done.’ ” it would take some time before Gattis was able to get his act together, after coming out of rehab the Astros designated hitter held various odd jobs that would eventually leave him broke and begging for food in the streets of New York City. Gattis then drove to California to find himself in the embrace of a spiritual adviser, “Whatever it was he was looking for, he got it,” said stepbrother Drew Kendrick. “We don’t really pry into it, he got what he was looking for.”
Evan Gattis was a janitor 10 years ago. Today he’s a World Series champion. He is the American dream. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/M8IQqnIwgs
— Cloyd Rivers (@CloydRivers) November 2, 2017
“He called me one day on his way home and said ‘I’m ready to play again,’ and that was all I ever needed to hear,” said Kendrick who at the time was a pitcher at the University of Texas-Permian Basin. “We’ve seen other athletes that have been out of baseball and try to come back and a lot of times it doesn’t work,” said Gattis’ former baseball coach at UT-Permian Basin. “I mean, this was the right place at the right time for Evan Gattis.”
https://twitter.com/MajinJerms/status/925940280867655680
After proving himself in the minors, the Atlanta Braves drafted Gattis in 2010 and 3 years later when things started settling down for him he started openly talking about his depression and spoke with USA Today about how he nearly ended his life in 2007. “I was in a mental hospital, I couldn’t sleep for an entire week, and I knew something was wrong with me. So I got admitted. I was so depressed, all I could think about was killing myself. I wanted to kill myself for a long time.” said Gattis.
Hopefully, Gattis’ story will inspire people who are dealing with mental issues to find help and better themselves, Godspeed champ!
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Article inspired by Yahoo // How Evan Gattis Battled Homelessness and Mental Illness to Become an Astros World Series Champ