Unbreakable Bonds
Ryan’s Story
Lagrange, Georgia
This story is dedicated to
the memory of Thomas Ryan Noles and to his mother Kathy Weathers.
Ryan
struggled for many years to overcome addiction. Addictions that would eventually take his
life at the young age of twenty eight. His struggles have impacted his family both
spiritually and physically and by writing his story, I hope to reach those who
are also struggling to overcome addiction and or those trying to understand the spiritual aspect of losing a loved one. I hope that by identifying with this
family’s loss, you may find some answers.
Ryan Noles was born on
February 8, 1983. His mother, Kathy, was over joyed with the arrival of her
baby son. As he grew from an infant into a toddler Ryan was always very close
to his mom and even after he got older, throughout his middle and high
school years he always had a very special relationship with her. Kathy
always kept a close eye on Ryan and he was often the apple of that watchful
eye. Ryan was always a bit of a clown and enjoyed making people laugh. His
smile was absolutely contagious and as he grew into a young man, Ryan would
have many girlfriends and was very much a lady’s man.
Ryan started using marijuana
in his late teenage years, while still in high school. Though he maintained a
close relationship with his mother he constantly reassured her he was OK.
Kathy and Ryan’s relationship would change dramatically over the next few years
and the loyal son she once knew had distanced himself from her. She knew that
Ryan was developing a real problem and by the time he was twenty, her worst
fears had come true. Ryan was battling a severe addiction to many drugs and
though Kathy was determined to help her son, he would not accept her help in his addicted state.
Kathy woke one morning at 3 AM
to Ryan screaming. He was begging her not to let him die. He had been vomiting blood after a stomach ulcer ruptured. When Kathy found him she was terrified. The bathroom was covered in blood. She gathered him up and rushed him to the hospital where he spent two days in an intensive care unit. Ryan had lost a lot
of weight and was very ill. His addiction was now taking over every aspect of
his life and he knew he needed help but didn’t know who to turn to. Ryan found
comfort in his family. Especially his young nephew Hunter who brought new meaning to Ryan’s life. Hunter often called
Ryan his “BFF” and once Ryan made advances in getting sober, Hunter was the
one constant reminder of how important it was to be a better man.
Ryan was determined to get
sober. He struggled to get into drug
treatment programs due to financial difficulties but Kathy and Ryan both knew
without the proper intervention, Ryan might not be able to overcome his addictions. Ryan was able to get some help. However, while getting sober was his
first priority, Ryan still battled many health complications. Chronic stomach pain from
years of drug abuse had worn his body into a fragile state. Depression was often a
side effect of trying to manage the pain and stay sober at the same time. One
night Ryan came to Kathy and told her he felt as if he was being spiritually attacked in
the home he was living in at the time. Kathy contacted a friend who brought Ryan a crucifix that had been blessed by a preacher in the hopes that it could some how help him fight the demons he felt oppressed him. She hoped that maybe through God, Ryan could
find some spiritual strength and Ryan felt very strongly in his heart that he
needed to be a better example for his BFF-Hunter and to show his mother he could get better.
Throughout Ryan’s recovery
phase, Kathy noted several unnatural things happening in her home and around
her. Kathy was not a skeptical person when it came to believing in supernatural
forces but she wasn’t hard-pressed to believe any old ghost story either. Things were changing around her and Ryan and she felt that Ryan may have been
dealing with a negative supernatural influence. This was clear to her when she and Ryan had met with the friend, who gave Ryan the
blessed crucifix. Kathy was sitting at her desk in her home when suddenly, without warning, everything on her desk was knocked over. It was if someone had
taken their hand and pushed everything off her desk. It happened with such
force Kathy could feel the presence of something close by. So much that it scared her to even move.
While under treatment Ryan
was prescribed several different drugs to help him with depression and pain.
However, this would prove to be a volatile mixture and on June 9, 2011, Ryan
passed away due to complications from his addiction and a combination of drugs
prescribed to him during his recovery. Ryan’s body had lost the fight to
survive and no one suffered as much as his mother. Kathy silently knew
that Ryan would not overcome his war with addiction but she would never reveal
that to him. Her grandson Hunter
was also devastated at the loss of his BFF and for many months the family
suffered tremendously to grasp the loss of Ryan.
Not long after Ryan’s death,
more strange and unusual things started to happen in Kathy’s home. Frequently
she would notice things out of order and often she would hear and see things that she hadn’t experienced before. Items like cigarette lighters
would go missing from a certain locations and then reappear in the same place later on. Kathy and visiting friends would hear conversations in the
house when no one was home. Glowing balls of light would manifest
over her head board at night and haunting sounds of her son’s ringtone would come over the television.
All these circumstances lead
Kathy to believe that her deceased son was trying to make contact with her in
any way possible. Kathy was still struggling to come to grips with Ryan’s death
and so was the entire family but she could no longer ignore the obvious
occurrences that were happening around her. Kathy looked into many paranormal
investigative teams and remembered that she had contacted a group some years
before while researching ghost hunters in the area. Kathy contacted the Alabama Ghost Hunters in an effort to find some answers regarding her
situation.
In January of 2012, my team investigated Kathy’s home after an extensive interview regarding her case. All
information regarding the events in the case were kept confidential between Kathy and I until
the completion of the investigation. This helps avoid any power of suggestion
that may occur and allows team members to function without seeking out any one
particular phenomenon based on reports. During the first investigation, almost immediately, audio recorders were
picking up voices not heard with the naked ear but with specialized, enhanced,
audio equipment. The audio specialist from the team was hearing human voices
answering the team’s questions throughout the investigation.
Other audible voices came
over the recorders which distinctly say “Ryan” and another that said “tell
them”. Audio recordings of this nature are classified by paranormal
investigators as EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, which in theory works by
allowing a low frequency sound to be picked up by an audio recorder or device.
The idea is that not all sounds can be heard or determined through casual listening and by using the technique of recording sounds and playing it back, gives one the ability to determine if any sound or voice was there, that wasn’t
heard audibly at the time.
These recordings and a few
full spectrum photo’s of a shadow figure captured in Ryan’s bedroom were all
collected as evidence in Kathy’s case and while the Alabama Ghost Hunters have concluded that her home has some paranormal activity, the team can
only speculate as to who or what is actually causing the phenomenon. Working with Kathy and keeping an open line of communication with established clients
is critical in the field of paranormal investigation. The activity is still very much a part of Kathy’s life now and has
continued since her initial reports of activity.
It’s possible Ryan is
responsible for the activity since his name was heard over the audio recordings collected during investigations. Kathy still struggles to let go of her emotions and the loss of Ryan which may also contribute to the haunting. A gentle understanding between a mother and
the spirit of a child has shed some light on the subject to a great degree.
Kathy made great sacrifices as a mother and to be there for her children. She fought, cried, hurt and suffered all the years Ryan struggled. She stood by him as any good mother would and made it her
personal battle, though it was not her burden to bear. She laid out her heart
in a selfless act to defend her son against an enemy neither of them could see. Ryan and Kathy both knew the overwhelming obstacles they would face but they stood fast, together, with the odds stacked against them. They had
something that most people in that situation don’t. They had love and they
had each other and an unbreakable bond between mother and child that no words
can describe.
That bond, forged in love, is endured worlds over
by people who believe they have the power to stand together against the worst
evils in the world. This is still true for Kathy and Ryan. Although Ryan is no longer with us, his spirit, (alongside so many others) are only reachable through death or other spiritual connection. Mothers connect to their children on a level that is not
understood by science or faith. It simply exists and is there. This is why Ryan
is still with Kathy today. His spirit stays with her in an effort
to do all the things for her that she did for him. Once again reminding her
that she will forever be the rock he will reside on. Keeping her
close to him so that she knows she will never truly be without him. All while he keeps a watchful eye on her and keeping the promise that he was not able to fulfill
in life. He no longer suffers from the demons that plagued him through
drugs and addiction. He is no longer burdened by the everyday battles he fought. He can rest easy knowing there is no obstacle he can’t
overcome. Along with Kathy, they understand that one day they will see each
other again and until that time comes she and Ryan are Ok and can still find
peace in knowing that the spirit world really isn’t that far and that the love
they have for each other is unbreakable, unbreachable, and undeniably profound.
Kathy Weathers and her son, Ryan Noles