07/25/2019
A repost in honor of our friend Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. Speedy died by su***de 8 years ago today. We will never forget him and will always advocate on his behalf and on behalf of those struggling with mental illness.
We love and miss you Speedy. GT.
🙏💗
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Crash. We all know that feeling. Even if you’ve never skied, you know what it feels like to take a hard fall. It hurts, it stings, it leaves a wound. Most of the time, these wounds are only physical, at least to the outside world. But, sometimes, the wounds we suffer cannot be seen by others and manifest themselves in our minds.
Today marks 8 years since my friend/mentor/role model/coach Jeret “Speedy” Peterson tragically took his own life at only 29 years of age. On the outside, Speedy had it all. But internally, he was very much like his signature trick, an emotional “Hurricane.” Personally, I never saw that side of him, and didn’t know much of it until his passing. Therein lies the issue. Like many people , Speedy struggled with his mental health. For me, his passing woke me up to the importance of mental health, therapy, and self-care. Nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with some sort of Mental Illness. This doesn’t make them “crazy,” “sick,” or “insane.” This makes them human. I am one of those people. I have personally struggled with my own mental health for the better part of 13 years. I have my good days and my bad ones but I’ve been extremely fortunate to have an amazing group of friends and a supportive family who, without knowing it, have done more for me than they could ever imagine. But not everyone is as fortunate.
The stigma surrounding mental health, therapy presents a host of issues that impede the progress towards our more complete understanding of mental illness. Su***de should never be the answer. It is incredibly tragic and destructive.
So, I ask this of everyone reading this. Be there for the people in your lives. Take the time to tell those around you that you are there for them. Check in with your friends periodically because you may never know when someone is struggling. Furthermore, please join me in supporting organizations like so that we can better understand mental illness and find ways to more effectively treat it. Let’s help those who suffer with mental illness and managing mental health. It only takes a minute to ask someone how they’re doing, but it could save a life
