The Stories You Connected With in 2024
As 2024 ends, I’m deeply grateful for this LinkedIn community. Sharing Maddie’s story and seeing her legacy touch so many hearts has been humbling. In 2025, we’re moving from connection to action, amplifying mental health initiatives to create real change. This year, we touched hearts—next year, we aim to save lives. Let’s make 2025 unforgettable. #MentalHealthMatters #Gratitude
A Lighthouse in the Storm: Empowering Parents to Find Their Way Through Teen Struggles
Navigating the mental health journey with a struggling teen can be isolating, but you’re not alone. Sharing our stories is vital for connecting and supporting one another as parents. By opening up about our experiences, we can help each other face the challenges of raising teens who may be struggling. Together, we can foster a sense of community and understanding, reminding ourselves that we don’t have to go through this alone.
Twenty-Two Missed Calls: The Moment I Knew My Worst Fear Had Come True
This is the opening chapter of my book, Wake Up, You Could Lose Your Teen to Suicide. Writing it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. Reliving those moments brought a flood of vivid memories and the searing pain of the night we lost my 14-year-old daughter, Maddie, to suicide.
On the night of April 10, 2015, I was jolted awake by an urgent voice and a series of missed calls, leading to the devastating truth: Maddie was gone. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, a moment that shattered my world. But from this unimaginable tragedy came a commitment—a mission to change how we approach mental health.
My goal is to ensure no family has to experience the same unbearable pain we did that night. Through better awareness, support, and prevention, I want to make sure that parents, children, and communities are equipped to handle the challenges of mental health in ways we weren’t. This book is my way of turning that grief into action, and my hope is that it will help save lives.