Bradford Little, was born in Canton, Illinois. For nine years he was an only child and incredibly spoiled by his grandparents. So when his first little brother, Jeff, when was born at age nine he had to make a minor few adjustments but it wasn’t too difficult. Brad said it was tough when his second brother Todd was born because the age difference was very large and the two young brothers bonded while he started his middle/ high school career.

Brad went on to attended Illinois State University where he payed his way through college through part-time jobs and a running scholarship. There he met his wife, Wendy Van Mierlo. They married, had three children in Bloomington, Normal, Illinois before they moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon.

“It was unknown but my father said, ‘if it doesn’t work out you can always move back,” said Brad.

It worked out and he has lived in Oregon ever since.

But it was when he was farthest away from his family when they needed each other most.

In February of 2002 Brad lost his youngest brother, Todd.

A serious cocaine addiction lead Todd to have a heart attack while in the shower.

“It was the saddest moment of my life, I couldn’t really talk about it until about four or five years ago,” said Brad.

Brad was mixed up with emotions. He was sad because his baby brother died suddenly but angry with him for letting an addiction end his life.

“I wish I had known Todd better,” said Brad.

Brad soon realized that Todd’s death happened for a reason and that it was because of his poor lifestyle choices of partying and doing drugs. He just wished he would have been more knowing of his brother’s situation so he could have helped or at least seen it coming.

The entire family had no idea.

It was Brad’s parents that took it the worst. They soon became alcoholics.

“I think it is a generational thing, that adults in  the 60s just drank more and didn’t know the effect it had on their health,” said Brad.

The death of Todd increased the level that Brad’s parents drank at. It went from one or two drinks at the end of the night to a significant amount of drinks throughout the day.

For Brad this kind of behavior was unfamiliar and he didn’t understand it. Due to his passion for running he couldn’t bring himself to damage his body like that. Also living in Oregon, where lifestyle choices are significantly better than the choices of Illinois, helped him break the addiction cycle.

Brad, along with his wife Wendy, raised their three children to be outgoing, athletic and aware of the harmful things in life.

“I was strict. My father was strict. But we were strict in different ways,” said Brad.

Now with two sons graduated from University of Oregon and a daughter in her last year, Brad feels that he has done a successful job being a father.

He just hopes his kids take care of themselves and not let the lifestyle of drugs and alcohol take them away like it did Todd.