Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck is opening a rehab facility following his son Josh's overdose in 2019. Lee opened up about the loss of his son in season 8 during a dinner with some charter guests. One of the guests had lost a daughter to a drug overdose as well and bonded with Lee over their shared trauma. Even though it was a beautiful moment between the captain and the guests, Lee was overwhelmed with emotion after discussing his son, as was anyone watching at the time.
Below Deck season 8 was filmed in early 2020, seven months after Lee's son passed away, so his grief was still palpable. Despite being in such a fragile state, Lee decided to go ahead and film for the Bravo series. While it may have been difficult at the time, Captain Lee's story spoke to so many Bravo viewers who had had similar experiences. Now, it looks like Captain Lee is going one step in the name of honoring his son.
During the Nov. 1 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the 71-year-old revealed his plans to open a new addiction rehabilitation center at sea. Captain Lee said the center is set to reside on a 470-foot barge that can host 200 patients at a time. The reality star also said the facility will not only have programs to help patients get sober, but also on how to be successful once the patient gets sober. Basically, Lee wants his patients to leave rehab with a new skill or vocation in order to make a living. Captain Lee told Andy that he felt many people who struggle with substance abuse have "burned all of their bridges" and often have nothing to "fall back on" once they are sober. That can inevitably lead to more issues and desperation, which Lee wants to avoid.
The yacht caption lost his son in July 2019 after he battled addiction for 20 years. Josh was just 42-years-old when Captain Lee found him unresponsive at this home. Andy praised Lee for using his Below Deck platform to help raise awareness and stop the opioid crisis in the United States. Captain Lee feels honored to be given an opportunity to open up a rehab facility and give a voice to those when have gone through a similar situation as he and his wife, Mary Anne.
A week before his WWHL appearance, Captain Lee gave a moving speech at Congress about the importance of ending the opioid crisis in America. With his own story, Lee hopes people will have a different view on this crisis that is vastly misunderstood. During his emotional speech, Lee also recalled his final moments with his son and finding him on his couch. In addition to that, he was also able to honor Josh at the Awaken Recovery Center in Greenacres, Florida, with a scholarship in Josh's name that provides free in-house treatment to someone of their choosing.
Captain Lee and his wife have been through so much loss and pain in the past two years, but are steadfast in their attempts to not let Josh's death be in vain. Lee's new recovery center at sea is the perfect way to do just that.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Source: Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen/YouTube