Westside Stories: Kathy & Vann Cleveland

Kathy and Vann Cleveland have been married 43 years. Over the course of that marriage, they've prayed some of the hardest prayers a parent can pray, and in this episode of Westside Stories, they share what it cost them to keep believing when those prayers didn't get answered the way they hoped.

Their story centers on their youngest son, Cody. Kathy and Vann describe him as a deep thinker, a gifted athlete, and a pleaser who wanted everyone around him to be happy. But as Cody moved into his teenage years, something shifted. He began struggling with anxiety his parents didn't have words for at the time, and eventually turned to alcohol for relief. What followed was five years of searching, counseling, specialists, and a family doing everything it knew to do to bring their son back to himself.

Vann and Kathy don't shy away from the hard parts of this story, the anger, the confusion, the moments they didn't understand why God wasn't answering the way they'd asked Him to. Vann shares how he came to lean on Proverbs 3:5, trusting God with all his heart rather than leaning on his own understanding, even when understanding never fully came. Kathy shares how peace eventually settled in, not overnight, but slowly, in the months that followed Cody's passing, a peace she describes as something only God could have lifted onto her.

What makes this story remarkable isn't a tidy resolution. It's what Kathy and Vann chose to do with their grief, turning toward other families walking the same road, sharing what they've learned, and staying together, as a couple and as a family, through something that breaks many marriages apart. Cody's own mantra, tattooed on his body and now tattooed into his father's memory, was simple: keep the faith.

As you listen, we want to invite you to sit with one question: how is God calling you to trust Him even in those long unanswered prayers?

And a challenge, if you're willing: do what we often don't want to do. Get on your knees before the Lord and ask Him to bestow upon you a robust faith, one that lasts through the highest of celebrations and the lowest of valleys.

This episode includes the loss of a child and the topic of suicide. Please use your discretion on when and where you listen. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also visit our care page at atlantawestside.org/care.

Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or find the full episode on our website.