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Mental Health & Suicide NS E E T N I
a mother’s note
by Angela Drake
I am and always will be a mother of two amazing girls: Brittany and Brianna. Brittany’s battle through mental health was long and hard from the inside, but she was the All-American girl from the outside. She was everyone’s best friend, an honor roll student, a star athlete, and an overachiever in everything she did. She had a laugh that could start a million laughs and a smile to light up a room. Brittany began to self-harm and struggle in middle school, and she was an expert at hiding her pain from everyone. She would always send the world positivity and struggle to accept it for herself. She battled the darkness within herself for years. We were very fortunate to have support but still fought through some stigma. It was hard for people to grasp that an All-American girl could be struggling within herself. To the world, she had everything; she was beautiful, intelligent, seemed to have everything going for her. This was always frustrating to explain to people that didn’t understand mental health. Thankfully, we had the love and support of our family and her teammates near and far through it all. The stigma is real for support after mental health care, but there is a line 100 miles long of support for when someone dies by suicide. We fought it as a family together with everything we had. Sadly, it wasn’t enough, and after 17 years, 11 months, and 24 days Brittany lost her battle with her mental health condition and took her life. Navigating life without Brittany has changed our family. We are nearing six years without her here on earth. Often it is like yesterday, and sometimes it’s like an eternity. Today we can laugh and not feel guilty; we can enjoy things and not hold back. I can use the pain and help others with their grief and start conversations about mental health and suicide prevention. I have learned to take care of myself, so I can best take care of others, but no matter what, I will forever stand in this world as a proud mother of two amazing girls, Brittany and Brianna. l
If you or your family needs immediate help, call 800-273-8755 or text 741-741.
