“This little guy changed my life”, says Mickey smiling tenderly at Brexten. On Feb. 8, 2014, Brexten Storkz was born with hydrocephalus on the brain due to a drug addicted young mother. In another part of town, Mickey Glaub, 38, was battling alcohol addiction.

Mickey was mostly absent from his own children’s lives. Brexten’s grandmother, Dana Stortz, stepped in and became a surrogate parent when Brexten was 4 months old. Mickey, a lifelong friend of Dana’s, stepped in the father’s role he didn’t fill for his own children. This is their story.