YOU MIGHT SAY, WHAT ON EARTH CAN YOU DO, SAY, IN WARREN, MICHIGAN IT TURNS OUT QUITE A BIT.
I’LL EXPLAIN.
AND.
>> ERIC KRAMER REACHED THE
PINNACLE OF HIS PROFESSION.
HE WAS UNDER CENTER FOR THE TIME
’S LAST PLAYOFF WIN SINCE
THE 50S.
>> AFTER HE REACHED THE HIGHEST
OF HIGHS, HE HIT ROCK BUT THE ON
HIM, CULMINATING WITH AN ATTEMPT
TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE.
TONIGHT ERIC IS OPENING UP ABOUT
THOSE DARK DAYS AND THE PERSON
WHOSE HELPED LIFTED HIM UP WHEN
HE NEEDED IT THE MOST.
>> ERIC KRAMER SPENT YEARS
RECOVERING FROM A SELF-INFLICTED
GUNSHOT WOUND THAT LEFT HIM
CRITICALLY INJURED.
>> LAST NIGHT HE TALKED ABOUT
THAT AND THOSE DARK DAYS WITH
BERNIE.
AND NOW TO WANT HE’S TALKING
ABOUT HIS RECOVERY.
BERNIE JOINING US WITH PART 2 OF
THIS INCREDIBLE STORY.
BERNIE?
>> BERNIE: YEAH.
HIS STORY IS MIRACULOUS, JASON.
ERIC KRAMER, THE LIONS’
QUARTERBACK WHEN THEY WON THE
ONLY PLAYOFF IN 65 YEARS, WE
WANT INTO A SPIRAL IN WHICH I
THOUGHT SUICIDE WAS THE ONLY WAY
THE DEATH OF HIS PARENTS, THE
DEATH OF HIS SON, AND DIVORCE
TOOK HIS DEPRESSION TO NEW
HEIGHTS.
WE BEGIN AT THE PLACE WHERE HE
FRIED TO END THE PAIN.
>> ERIC: I THINK, WOW, I WAS
THERE ONE DAY, BUT I DON’T HAVE
A CONNECTION, OTHER THAN I WAS
THERE ONE DAY.
>> BERNIE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
FOR ERIC KRAMER BEGAN HERE AT
THE GOOD KNIGHT INN IN CAL AN
BASS AS, CALIFORNIA.
THE DATE WAS AUGUST 19, 2015.
HE HAD COME HERE TO TAKE HIS OWN
LIFE AFTER A SERIES OF EVENTS
LEFT HIM IN A MASSIVE STATE OF
DEPRESSION.
>> THIS LITTLE THING BUBBLED UP.
LIKE OH, NO.
AND ONCE IT IS IN THE DOOR,
THERE’S NO HOLDING IT BACK.
THERE’S NO, LIKE, FIGHTING
AGAINST IT.
IT DOESN’T HAPPEN.
>> KRAMER FIRED THE GUN HE HAD
BROUGHT WITH HIM.
THE BULLET TRAVELED THROUGH HIS
TONGUE, NASAL PASSAGE, AND OUT
THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.
>> HERE I AM.
DIDN’T DIE SOMEHOW BUT WHEN WE
TALKED TO THE DOCTORS, THEY’RE
LIKE, YOU SHOULD HAVE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
HE DIDN’T DIE, BUT THE DAMAGE
HAD BEEN DONE.
IT LEFT HIM WITH THE COGNITIVE
SKILLS OF A 6-YEAR-OLD CHILD.
THAT’S WHY KRAMER’S STORY IS ONE
PEOPLE MARVEL AT TODAY.
I THINK THE THING ABOUT YOUR
STORY THAT THROWS ME SO MUCH IS
NOT MANY PEOPLE GET A SECOND
CHANCE AFTER SUICIDE ATTEMPT.
>> ERIK: NO.
I WOULDN’T THINK MAIN PEOPLE GET
THIS CHANCE.
AND SO AS YOU MENTIONED, I MEAN,
YOU CAN’T FIND A HAPPIER PERSON
THAN ME INTERNALLY.
>> BERNIE: WITHOUT ANNA DURGE
IN, A FRIEND SINCE HIGH SCHOOL,
NONE OF THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN
POSSIBLE.
SHE’S OVERSEEN KRAMER’S RECOVERY
AND HER CARE CONTINUES TO THIS
DAY.
>> WHAT WERE THE DAYS LIKE WHEN
HE HAD THE BRAIN OF A 6-YEAR-OLD
>> IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE.
THE DOCTOR SAID, YEP, THIS IS
ABOUT WHERE HE’S GOING TO BE.
AND WE’RE LIKE, WHAT?
NO.
HE CAN’T BE LIKE THIS.
IT WAS DIFFICULT.
>> BERNIE: BUT THE TRUTH IS
ANNA WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE DOCTOR
’S EVALUATION.
SO NEARLY EVERYDAY, SHE MADE
SURE KRAMER WENT TO REHAB.
IN THE EARLY DAYS, IT WAS SIMPLY
GUT WRENCHING.
THE TV WAY HIS MAIN SOURCE OF
INTEREST, NO MATTER WHAT WAS ON.
>> ANYTHING HE COULD SEE ON TV,
HE WOULD WATCH.
SO WITH A GUIDE, IT WOULD GET,
LIKE HE WOULD TRY TO CHANGE
CHANNELS AND THE CORNER OF THE
BOX THERE WOULD BE THE ACTUAL
SHOW THAT’S GOING ON, AND THEN
THERE WOULD BE THE GUIDE.
WE WOULD HAVE TO WATCH TV LIKE
THAT.
HE WOULD SIT ON THE COUCH SIX TO
SEVEN HOURS AT A TIME WITH NOT
EVEN TAKING A BREAK.
HE WOULDN’T EAT UNLESS YOU TOLD
HIM TO EAT AND PUT FOOD IN FRONT
OF HIM.
SO IT WAS VERY CHILDLIKE
BEHAVIOR, AND IT WAS DIFFICULT
FOR US TO KEEP WITNESSING DAY IN
, DAY OUT.
>> BERNIE: SLOWLY, BUT SURELY,
KRAMER BEGAN TO RETURN TO
NORMALCY.
ANNA SAYS IT TOOK OVER FIVE
YEARS AND THIS FRIENDSHIP, WELL,
IT HAS TURNED INTO A LOVE STORY.
A STORY THAT HAS MADE FOR A VERY
HAPPY ENDING AFTER YEARS OF WORK
>> IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME, WHEN
DID I FEEL HE’S BACK TO BEING
100% THE OLDER I GO, I WOULD SAY
NOT -- OLD ERIC, I WOULD SAY NOT
UNTIL 2020, TO BE HONEST.
>> BERNIE: DO YOU HAVE LIKE
THEY SAY A CAT HAS NINE LIVES?
>> YEAH.
>> BERNIE: WE HAVE TO GIVE YOU
18 OR 20 BY THIS POINT.
RIGHT?
>> SURE.
STACK ’EM UP.
I’M IN NO RUSH TO GO ANYWHERE.
I’M IN NO RUSH TO DO ANYTHING.
AND IT’S KIND OF LIKE EVERYDAY
FROM HERE ON IS CHRISTMAS.
>> BERNIE: PRETTY AMAZING.
LOCAL 4 HAD WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU
OR ANYONE YOU KNOW ARE IN A
STATE OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, WE
URGE YOU TO REACH OUT.
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION
LIFELINE, 1-800
AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WE ALSO HAVE A BLOG ON OUR
WEBSITE, CLICKONDETROIT.COM,
ABOUT SITTING DOWN WITH ERIK
KRAMER AND HOW IT ALL CAME
TOGETHER.
THE COURAGE OF ERIK KRAMER TO
COME FORWARD AND TALK IN HIS
FIRST TELEVISION INTERVIEW,
FIRST BROADCAST INTERVIEW IS
PRETTY AMAZING AND HE DIDN’T
HOLD ANYTHING BACK.
HE’S GOING TO HELP A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
>> KAREN: REALLY IS BRAVE.
I KNOW WHEN YOU GOT BANG FROM
YOUR TRIP WE WERE TALKING IN THE
NEWSROOM AND IT TOOK YOU A
COUPLE DAYS TO DIGEST WHAT HE
SHARED WITH YOU.
>> BERNIE: RIGHT.
THE DEATH OF HIS CHILD, WHO HE
THINKS OBVIOUSLY COULD BE ALIVE
TODAY, IS THE MOST GUT WRENCHING
PORTION OF THIS THING.
IF YOU DON’T SEE LAST NIGHT’S
EPISODE OR FOR PART ONE,
UNIVERSITY GO TO
CLICKONDETROIT.COM AND YOU CAN
SEE IT THERE, ALSO, ALONG WITH
THIS ONE HERE.
>> JASON: AND ANYONE WHO MIGHT
NEED TO DIAL THAT NUMBER, WATCH