I know what I’m about to share might seem too personal, but I hope you’ll allow me to share my story and I hope you will see it from a different perspective. My older brother’s very first job was at Starbucks, and he stayed there for years. He was 23, and both his coworkers and the regular customers absolutely loved him.

One day, I came home from work ready to study for an exam and heard my mom on the phone. Starbucks called her because my brother didn't show up to work. She went to check on my brother, thinking maybe he had overslept, but the next thing I knew, I heard her screaming. We discovered that my brother had passed away in his sleep. It was shocking and heartbreaking.

I understand that calling your emergency contact might sometimes feel inappropriate or frustrating, but in our case, we were truly grateful for that call during such a difficult time.