Team

I started the I’m Glad You Stayed Project a month after my best friend, Dylan, took his life. I was the last person to speak to him and when he reached out to me that night, I didn’t know the proper steps to get him help. Because of that, it took a few minutes longer than it should have to get him help. I was, obviously, very heartbroken and lost and wanted to make sure that no one else was ever in the situation I was in by not knowing what steps to take to help their loved one. I made a pamphlet with step by step suggestions on how to help a friend or family member and walked around my entire high school of thousands of students and handed them out to each classroom. I had been in one psychiatric hospital before making the pamphlet and a week after passing them out to my school, I went to a second one, so I had gained tools to help cope, not only with the loss and survivors guilt, but also ways I could help people even more! 

My reason for being a part of the I’m Glad You Stayed Project is to show kids that even when you’re at or feeling your worst, you are the BEST of someone’s life. One moment changes not only your life but those that love you, so remember your story isn’t over and I’m so glad that you stayed.

I am happy to be a part of the I’m Glad You Stayed Project to offer support for those that have been touched by suicide and to spread awareness and resources for those that are struggling with depression and/or suicidal ideation. I watched first hand the devastation caused by one brief moment of desperation and want to do all that I can to help others stay. 

The sweet boy in my picture is why the I’m Glad You Stayed Project is so important to me. Dylan was a son, brother and a great friend! Dylan loved swimming, video games, scuba diving and anime. After a courageous battle with depression and anxiety he took his life in March of 2021.  Being transparent about Dylan’s struggles will continue to reduce the stigma around mental health and suicide. I’m here to tell everyone, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to ask for and accept help. If your friends are begging you to stay…stay. If your parents tell you to crawl into bed with them if you feel you can not possibly make it through another day….do it. You are important and loved even if your brain tells you different…..choose to stay!

Life IS tough and the struggle is real.  Blue skies come and they go.  Just as the weather is unpredictable, we don’t always know when those blue skies will reappear.  We do know that if we hang around long enough, friends helping friends, we’ll see those blue skies again.

I grew up in Iowa City and attended ISU and U of IOWA for college. I’m currently working as a treasury management representative for Hills Bank in Coralville.  I am 27 now, so when I was in high school, I remember feeling very alone and misunderstood because depression was such an unknown topic at that point. Even now, the discussion on mental health carries a stigma and a significant amount of people don’t even learn about the importance of it until a tragedy hits their lives. This topic is so difficult to speak on because symptoms of various illnesses can present so differently. I want to be able to help provide families and friends with information to help them recognize and understand the people that struggle with depression or anxiety so that they can be a source of support when needed. On the victim side, I would like to make sure that everyone understands that they are not alone and that their lives are worth fighting for.

I am a proud Iowa City native, passionate about mental health advocacy, suicide prevention, and to offer bereavement support to those whose lives have been affected by suicide loss. As a suicide loss survivor, survivor of multiple suicide attempts, and someone LIVING with a mental illness, I have made it my goal in life to share my lived experiences as candidly and safely as possible, with a mixture of honesty and a bit of humor. It’s my hope that someday we will not be considered courageous for sharing our stories, we will simply be talking. I am happy to be a member of the I’m Glad You Stayed Project as we normalize the conversations surrounding suicide while combating stigmas. Despite what our minds tell us, nobody fights alone. You matter, and I am here for you.