'He was sick': Influencer Cass and the City, husband get candid about importance of addiction awareness
PHILADELPHIA - Social media influencer Cass and the City is known for her videos showcasing the best places to visit in Philadelphia and throughout the Delaware Valley, but now, she and her husband are highlighting a different cause.
Cass and her husband Kellen joined Good Day Philadelphia to get candid about the importance of addiction awareness.
The road to success for the popular couple was not always an easy one. They recently opened up about Kellen's former battles with addiction.
On social media, he revealed that he was given painkillers by a friend's mom to sell for money when he was just 14 years old, eventually leading him down a path of addiction from painkillers to heroin.
During some of the worst times of his struggle, he says he was facing eviction and having thoughts of suicide.
The couple decided to speak out because addiction is more common than most people think.
Cass and Kellen met at a music festival in Maryland in 2014. At the time, he was using Suboxone as a treatment solution for his addiction.
He says he knew something was wrong in high school when he would experience going through withdrawal, but he pushed through. After high school, he began using heroin.
"It wasn't until after high school that I realized it was an actual problem," Kellen said.
At age 19, he went to rehab for the first time in Buffalo, New York, but checked himself out of the program in less than 24 hours to figure it out on his own.
His addiction continued and he credits Cass as the person who saved his life and helped him change.
"The last relapse I had towards the end before I went to treatment, I was actually getting ready to turn to suicide and luckily, Cass had called me that night and steered me in the other direction," he said.
Cass says a pivotal moment in Kellen's recovery was his admission that he wanted help rather than people forcing him to go to rehab.
Kellen has now been clean since February 2017 and says one of the hardest parts is addressing the shame and guilt that comes with addiction.
He's also encouraging people who have loved ones battling addiction to be there to support them.
Cass says she stayed by Kellen's side because he was sick.
"That's exactly why we're talking about it," she said. "Addiction is a disease and he was sick and he wanted to get help," she said.
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Resources are available for those struggling with addiction and thoughts of suicide:
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse
- 988 suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Resources are also available for those with family members struggling with addiction: