Title by Digging Deeper Media, post from Midwest Media by Melanie, shared with permission. We are working together to help find a solution to the mental health crisis in our communities.
Our prayers are with the family and friends and counselors and everyone who came into contact with Jeremy.
We are all truly blessed by being able to share Melanie’s writings. She is an honest, aggressive investigator and a compassionate writer. Please read to the end, where she shares her feelings on being a news reporter. We share her same thoughts, which is another reason why we are working together.
UPDATE on death in North Platte over the weekend
His name was Jeremy, and he was 45 years old. He was a real person struggling with real problems. I’m told he was a nice man who helped others when asked, even though ongoing mental health issues kept him from succeeding in life like society expects.
But he was doing the best he could with what life dealt him.
Mental health illness kept him from a healthy family relationship with his own family for over 8 years. It kept him from owning his own home and other simple things many people may not think much about. But he worked hard – holding down a modest job pre, post, and during the pandemic. And now he is gone without leaving much of a noticeable mark, so it seems.
His guardian called his mom after he died. The neighborhood was shocked. It made the news because he died outside. There is an autopsy everyone is curious about.
The curiosity, I hope, goes deeper. It goes beyond this sad death and goes into the heart of how easily this could impact any one of us or one of our own loved ones. The forgotten people with broken parts that can’t be easily fixed. Even a heart or lung or kidney can be replaced in a desperate attempt to save a life, but a mental health illness consumes a person forever, sometimes until the person cannot be recognized anymore, or – yes – until they die.
Jeremy’s life should be remembered. I know people were upset when I shared a picture Sunday of the coroner “leaving the scene” of where he was staying. I wish I could explain why I believe that it was important to share. I wish I could help people understand my reasoning. Jeremy’s life on earth is over, and now people notice. Did anyone notice his torture or struggle before it ended?
The lyrics of a song were shared with me for Jeremy and others like him (if you’ve made it this far into the post). I’ll share the words at the bottom. This is what it was like for him, and what it is still now for the others who are being cared for in communities like these where Jeremy was being transitioned from assisted living to living on his own.
These are just some thoughts I had about all of this:
******
It is a devastating situation when a person dies suddenly. No one is expecting a 45-year-old’s life to end suddenly, without warning, and without explanation. It may be even sadder when that person is alone and struggling with a mental illness.
We are all in a place post pandemic where everything is different somehow, and we are all a little wiser to the sensitivities of our own mental health. Being shut down for almost two years did a number on the mental-healthiest of us.
But there are people who really struggle. From the “lesser” mental health issues (while none of them feel “less” when they are happening) to the extreme. From mild anxiety to severe depression, chemical imbalances, schizophrenia, or recovering from mental or physical abuse, or drug addiction. No one can really judge another person’s journey with one conversation, glance, or news story. And certainly no one but God can judge in death. Even this reporter is guilty of knowing this and sharing news stories about people with real lives and problems, and forgetting to truly empathize with the real people attached.
And so it is with that heart that I write this. And know that I am so very sorry for this situation.
When a person is released from a psychiatric unit, a rehab facility, or even prison due to mental health related issues, the reentry into a stable life is a slow process. Some are lucky to have people who work hard to help them along the way.
The seemingly impossible hurdles those with mental health issues face while trying to connect with family and friends, continue treatment, work a job, and try to be a contributing part of society are real. The people who live in these communities are trying to overcome more than we can imagine, all while trying to continue the daily tasks we all face.
SONG LYRICS
“Escaping Shadows”
Running through the darkness, heart pounding in my chest
Silent screams inside my mind, I’m trying my best
Paranoia closing in, every step I take
Whispers of doubt and fear, won’t give me a break
[Verse 2]
Lost in a maze of thoughts, trapped in my own head
Searching for the light, a way out I haven’t tread
Every corner holds a demon, every shadow, a doubt
But I won’t let them win, I’ll find my own way out
[Chorus]
But now I’m rising, oh, I’m breaking free
Heavens gates open, salvation I see
No more fighting, the battle’s finally won
Mental illness claimed another, but my spirit lives on
Well written article!
Very sad too!