The Chuckie Mahoney Memorial Page

Some suggestions for getting through the holidays-

Getting through the holidays with a broken heart

There is a lot of grief in our communities due to loss of a loved one especially now. Holidays can be especially hurtful and hard to navigate. Please reach out to someone who may have lost a loved one. All you have to do is let them know that you are thinking of them. That’s all you really have to do to bring some comfort to a broken heart. Let them know that you care.

November 21 st is Survivor of Suicide Loss Day. Being a survivor is not an easy road to navigate by oneself. The grief journey can be lonely and riddled with guilt and anger. Particularly difficult is when it involves child loss. There is no weakness in reaching out for professional help as well as joining support groups. Both of which we did both alone and as a family. This kind of loss has profound impacts on the family unit as well and affects each sibling and family member differently. Thus the isolation- each member trying to cope with the loss in their own way can lead to even more fractures within the family unit. Family therapy can be helpful. Coping with this kind of loss takes years of working through the issues and never really goes away. One learns to cope and accept. And it is a process and a journey.

The Chuck Mahoney Foundation released a post on the 10 signs of depression and anxiety particularly during times of stress-like now. In addition I would like t...o add some coping skills that worked for me personally when faced with an extremely stressful situation- 1. Keeping to some kind of schedule- it helps to go to bed and wake up at same times. 2. Setting and writing down a goal or two for the day. Even if it is just to take a shower, wash hair, brush teeth- 3. There is something to be said for putting on clean clothes- even PJs 4. Find something you like to do that brings some comfort- take a walk, listening to music, watching a favorite movie or tv show, gardening 5. Exercise works to ease stress 6. Meditation, prayer, keeping a journal 7.talking to someone who listens- reaching out to someone you trust 8.seeking professional help when you need it 9. Take one day at a time 10. Realize you can’t control everything in life- most of life is not in our control- control what you can- let go what you can’t - the hard part is knowing the difference (The Serenity Prayer) 11. Don’t listen to news 24/7-we need relief- 12. Limit social media- too overwhelming I hope some of these suggestions help anyone feeling down, depressed, lonely.

A great start in the right direction to help our police handle mental health situations-

Some more help from the AFSP

If someone you know tells you they’ve been thinking about suicide, don’t forget to take the last step and #BeThe1To follow up with them. It can make all the difference. #SPM20

Easier number to seek help-

Seems like a good time to repost

Tools and information to help children

Some information on anxiety disorders-

Just read an article in this month’s SI on a local lawyer taking on the NCAA for brain injuries occurring while playing football. Suicide, Parkinson’s and ALS are some of the diseases that are prevalent in those players that have played the game. CTE has just recently been discovered and brought to the forefront in the last 15 years. This is of interest to us because my son played football since the age of 10 oftentimes with reckless abandon. There were instances of him being... punch drunk. A player no longer has to sustain knock out concussions, but just the repeated knocks to the head jarring against a helmet can be enough to cause injury to the brain. Chuck died of suicide at 20 in 2002. Little was known back then. Some professionals have asked us if we considered CTE due to Chuck’s descriptions of not knowing what hit him- severe anxiety and depression. Meds and treatment did not help. For 2 years he fought the illness- did well in school, and socially, but continued to plummet downhill. Could he have sustained brain injury due to football? That remains a question with no answer just speculation, but looking at stats and other stories of football players similar to my son, there is a distinct possibility that Chuck is another statistic. Unfortunately CTE can only be diagnosed with an autopsy. It is too late for our son, but hopefully not for others. See more

Somewhere someone suffers from severe mental distress. It is real and can be fatal. Information and training is essential to saving lives.Somewhere someone suffers from severe mental distress. It is real and can be fatal. Information and training is essential to saving lives.

Thanks to those who give their time to our golf event through the Sponsorship Committee and our Event Committee- forever grateful couldn’t do it without you

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