According to Indiana University, CTE is a progressive degenerative disease affecting people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries. In the book Before Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson, Zachariah Johnson goes through a condition called CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This illness affects his son ZJ by making him scared and confused. But for ZJ, even though his fear felt overpowering, he could depend on his friends and family to get through his dad's declining health. First of all, ZJ’s friends help him overcome his fear of his dad’s declining health because they support and respect each other and are very close. They create a safe and comfortable space for each other to talk. An example of how ZJ’s friends support him is when his friends come over and make grilled cheeses: “. …show more content…
. It’s like my boys know that all I need right now is for them to be around me” (93). This shows how ZJ’s friends help ZJ overcome his fear of his dad's declining health by coming over to cheer him up and not talking about his dad. This shows how supportive they are. In addition, ZJ's friends show respect by helping each other when one of them is at their lowest. Another example is when ZJ and his friends help out Darry:” I need the trail, which means I need my boys. Something is happening, which means it comes around me” (114). This helps us understand ZJ's relationship with his friends; it shows that they can come to each other whenever they need help. It also shows how much they care and love each other by having a phrase that means they need each other. All this shows how friends help ZJ get through his dad’s bad health, even though it can feel