In the last less-than-24 hours, I don’t even have words to express how loved, supported, understood, and cared for you all have made me feel. From real-life friends to online ones, you have reached out and I am beyond grateful.

At the risk of sounding like a Facebook apology advertisement, this is really what the online community was created to do. To some it may seem weird, sharing a difficult family moment online. But I’ve let you all into my life for seven and a half years now. And I’m truly glad that I have, never more so than in times like these.

This blog was started on December 13, which was my grandfather’s birthday. While he has no idea what a blog is and called Facebook, “that Spacebook thing,” he was a lifelong Clevelander who embodied so much of what I love most about Clevelanders: he was strong, loyal, and real.

Thank you for letting me be real with all of you and for being loyal and strong for me now.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon, I promise.

From the bottom of my heart and always from Cleveland that I love, thank you.