The day is May 31, 2014. Ben Kuehn drives with his Mom, Grandma and Grandpa to Milwaukee for a soccer game.

Although Ben feels excited for his game, he decides to rest while on the road. Around Dane County, Ben is woken up by his grandma’s voice screaming at his grandpa.

“A lot was going on . . . the car stopped and my mom dialed 9-1-1.”

Ben’s grandpa is experiencing a heart attack. The operator on the phone explains how to do CPR. After 30 minutes pass, the first responders arrive and transport him to the hospital.

Although the family follows the ambulance to the hospital, it is too late.

“Unfortunately, he had passed.”

The day is filled with loss. Ben is particularly upset. Soccer is the last thing on his mind. Ben is relatively quiet in school for the last week of school as well. The funeral is hard as well because of the impact of the family.

“He was a highlight of our family.”

Five years later, Ben feels still feels bad about it. Ben’s approach is doing things one day at a time.

Soccer re-enters his life once again in tribute to his grandfather.

“Every match I play, I play for my grandpa because I knew what it meant for him to watch my games when he had the chance.”

The tragic event marks one of many obstacles Ben goes through in his life. Ben’s family is now starting to get over it as well because they cannot live in the past.

After it all,  Ben starts to get over the passing by being more open about it with his family and friends; thus this story is dedicated to Richard (Pops) Krueger.