Our Story
You never think that this can happen in your family, let alone to your own child. Even less so when your family is cohesive and thriving and your precious child strong, healthy, smart, ambitious, and popular.
"Suicide? Who does that?"
I recall asking myself this question, among dozens and dozens of others to which I could not find answers that made sense to me.
Jonah Johnson was born in Hillsborough, where he also grew up and attended school. He was an extremely popular kid, considered a leader by his peers and school community. Everyone knew him as a talented drummer, gamer, and football player, and an uproariously funny guy. However, what people did not see—because he approached life with such vigor and passion—was that he also suffered from depression:
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A devastating, chameleon-like illness that can surface intermittently
Depression can attack brutally aggressively. This was the case for Jonah. On December 16th, 2009, in an impulsive moment of anger, and despair, he took his own life. Jonah had just turned 17 years-old on November 14, 2009.
Here is what my family would like your family to know:
When a person struggles with a depressive disorder, the unthinkable becomes a possibility.
And in the most unfortunate of circumstances, my son, your daughter completes a suicide. We as a community do not understand the seriousness and consequences of depression. We must try harder. We must challenge the ignorance and remove the stigma around mental illness.
Donate today to help our quest to combat suicide in our community!
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