By
Damon Mitchell and Samantha MaxApril 9, 2021
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Dawn Harrington helps families stay connected when a relative is incarcerated through classes and support groups. “It’s somewhat kind of like a grieving lost, like somebody dies,” she says. “Because it is, in some ways, that level of separation.” (Courtesy of Dawn Harrington)
This story is from The Pulse, a weekly health and science podcast.
At first, Dawn Harrington blamed herself when her younger brother went to prison. She questioned whether she’d been a good influence. She developed anxiety, then fell into a deep depression.
“I didn’t want to get up,” she said. “The first semester that he was gone, I think I got straight F’s, and I was in college. I think I got straight F’s the second semester as well.”