Content Warning: This section discusses attempted death by suicide.

McDougall provides Zeke’s backstory, detailing his struggles with depression. Zeke and his sister were both encouraged by their high-performing mother to take on intensive training for swimming before and after school, a task which they appeared to handle with ease. They maintained high grades in school and busy extra-curricular lives. However, in high school, both Zeke and his sister quit swimming, and soon after both struggled with depression. With therapy and medication, both siblings were able to move past their periods of depression.

When Zeke left home to attend his mother’s alma mater, Penn State University, he was initially successful, but felt that his antidepressant medication was not allowing him to think clearly. He stopped taking his regular dosage. A few weeks later, Zeke attempted suicide. This is why he returned home.

McDougall then discusses the danger in the stoppage of high-level athletic activity, as the dopamine drop-off can cause severe depression and even suicidal ideation. Witnessing her son running with Sherman, Zeke’s mother realizes, “‘He’d found someone else who needed healing’” (181).