Chase Block is a 15-year-old 9th grader at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., and author of the new book, Chasing Happiness: One Boy's Guide to Helping Other Kids Cope with Divorce, Parental Addictions and Death. His parents divorced when he was 5. Mature for his age, Chase was constantly trying to cheer up his mom, a beautiful, popular and compassionate member of Jacksonville society who hid a horrible secret — she was deeply depressed and became addicted to prescription sleeping pills to combat her insomnia. She remarried and divorced several times.
Meanwhile, Chase's dad, a successful trial attorney, was in and out of relationships, and frequently solicited his young sons' advice on the women in his life through an engagement, then a second marriage and another divorce.
For 11 turbulent years Chase tried to help both parents navigate various situations, and he became the "Answer Guru" for his friends when their own parents faced similar challenges. By the time he was 14, Chase wanted to help a wider circle of his peers. So he decided to write a book offering kids and teens advice on how to both support their parents and be their own person through changing family dynamics.
At the same time, his mother's addictions became worse. Chase and his brother discussed her deteriorating condition with their dad, who was in recovery himself, and decided to give Chase's mom an ultimatum as a last ditch effort to save her. The boys told her they didn't want to see her, or talk with her, until she agreed to enter rehab. That emotional confrontation was to be their last conversation with her. Two weeks later, after crashing her Mercedes into a tree, she committed suicide with a handgun in a hotel room.
Though devastated, Chase realized this tragic outcome was to be an important chapter in his book. He wished he had someone to help him know what to do, and realized he could serve that role for others. He dove back into his book project with a renewed sense of urgency. Mental health professionals are already calling it an important contribution to the field.
Chase is an avid surfer, and is considering a career in politics or law.