Cedar Lake native Kristy Follmar has absorbed more painful blows in her personal life than any boxer could ever encounter in the ring.

But through all the tragedy, Follmar, a 1998 Hanover Central graduate, has remained a source of inspiration by fighting for herself and her family.

When Follmar was 13, her father committed suicide. Frustrated and confused, she took her anger out on a punching bag her mother Kathy Mills bought.

Follmar then went on to become an amateur boxer while she was a student at Ball State. Her hobby turned into a profession, and she went 15-1 with nine knockouts before retiring.

Not long after her last official fight in March 2005, Follmar learned she was going to become a mom. Follmar and her longtime boyfriend Kyle Leis of Indianapolis named their daughter Kay O'Connor, whom Follmar affectionately calls "Baby KO."

With a toddler at home and an admirable career as the executive director of the Rock Steady Boxing Foundation in Indianapolis, where she helps people with Parkinson's disease build confidence and enhance their physical abilities through a noncontact boxing regimen, Follmar had little time to resume her fighting career during the past couple years.

Then this past September, Follmar was devastated again. Her younger brother, Tommy Follmar, 23, shocked his family and friends by committing suicide.

Now, like when she was a teenager, Follmar is turning to boxing again to cope with loss. On March 3, the 28-year-old Follmar will compete in her first official pro fight in four years when she faces South Bend native Eva Jones-Young (15-3-1, five KOs) for the Women's WBF World Light Welterweight Championship at Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis.

"When my brother died, I had a really hard time for the first couple months snapping back into reality and finding motivation to work," Follmar said. "Then this fight came up, and even though I had made the decision to hang it up and focus on my family, I felt like it would give me something else to focus on.

"It's almost therapeutic for me. It gives me something positive to work toward, which is a world title."

It's difficult to understand why anyone, especially a lovable guy like Tommy Follmar, would take his or her life.

"It was probably the biggest funeral Cedar Lake has ever seen," Follmar said. "He was the life of the party and just had a ton of friends. In fact, he was going to be the best man in two weddings this summer."

Trying too hard to make sense of a suicide can be unhealthy for the deceased's family. Misplaced guilt and blame can create self-loathing or even hatred for others.

Follmar and her loved ones seem to realize it's best to focus on positive aspects of life to avoid negative behavior.

"My mother asked me a couple weeks after he died if I was going to fight again," Follmar said. "She said, 'I understand if you're not, but we just need something like that.'"

Follmar said her brother also urged her to return to the ring shortly before he died. Follmar remembers him becoming angry when she told him she didn't have any intention of boxing again.

But life changes, and Follmar's career will be resurrected. This time, she's a mom, but she'll still be "The Fighting Rose."

Her first world title fight will never make up for the loss of her father or brother, but it will surely be a great tribute from a loving daughter and sister, a resilient competitor and someone Northwest Indiana can be proud of.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at nate.ulrich@nwitimes.com.