Published June 17, 2021

By MAUREEN DOHERTY, editor

It’s not often that one can say a graduation speech saved their life or that of a loved one.

But North Reading High School honor essayist Margaret “Meg” Regan may have accomplished just that with her poignant, self-disclosure at Friday’s Commencement Exercises in which she revealed her silent struggle with severe depression that led her to attempt to take her own life just a few months ago.

The opening of her speech began innocuously enough as she lamented how much pressure she was under and that she “really did not want to write this” out of fear that she would “explain something poorly, or forget something, and it’ll hurt someone…”

Nothing unusual here since fears about public speaking are quite common, especially when standing at a podium in a stadium filled with hundreds of strangers while wearing a funny hat and shapeless gown.

But it was the start of her second paragraph that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end: “That is how I started my suicide note…” Those eight words changed the trajectory of her message immediately and powerfully from a struggle so personal she had been unable to reveal her truth to her own parents until a few months ago to becoming a de facto advocate for mental health awareness. Her message resonated with those at graduation as the entire stadium erupted in applause and gave her a heartfelt standing ovation. Her message was heard.

Even today, after one of the darkest years in modern history brought on by the pandemic it remains taboo to talk about maintaining and advocating for one’s mental health in our society. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Therefore, building off the momentum inspired by Meg’s message, the Transcript reached out to two advocates employed by the town, Laura Miranda, LMHC, and Youth Services Director Jen Ford, for assistance in providing mental health resources to the community at large.

Hotlines

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people of all ages in distress 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255.

The Samaritans is another valuable 24/7 free suicide prevention resource. You may call or text anonymously at 1-877-870-4673.

Laura Miranda works out of the North Reading Police Department and she is called upon to assist individuals one-on-one with their specific needs. “The referral work that I do is always based around the specific needs of the person I’m working with, as well as their logistical parameters such as insurance, age, location, etc.,” Laura explained. She can be reached at 978-357-5038 or lmiranda@nrpd.org.

In addition to the Samaritans, Miranda also offered info. on two other resources:

• TrevorLifeline: Crisis intervention and suicide prevention 24/7 phone service for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) people under 25 years old: 866-488-7386. Or text “START” to 678-678 to start a text conversation with this resource.

• Eliot Crisis Line: Eliot provides mobile psychiatric evaluation, crisis intervention, stabilization, and follow up for those in acute psychiatric distress: 1-800-988-1111.

“I am so happy to see this conversation happening, and am thrilled to be a thought of as resource for those in need,” Laura said.

Project Peace and Out of the Darkness Walk

According to Youth Services Director Jen Ford, “Because Youth Services (YS) has always prioritized mental health it often is deeply embedded in much of the programming. While sometimes it may appear that we’re having fun and playing games, there is always the underlying tone of self-care, acceptance, tolerance, etc., that all promote overall good health (mental and physical), including coping techniques.”

“This summer YS is offering Project Peace which is all about youth coming together to share their mental health experiences (struggles and successes, past and current),” she said. Project Peace will meet most Mondays throughout the summer at North Parish Park.

“Additionally, I’m working on a group for caretakers (primarily moms) for this summer. Ideally, I’ll have youth volunteers to hang with any kiddos, enabling caretakers to participate without having to find a babysitter.”

Lastly, YS is hosting an “Out of the Darkness Walk” on Saturday, June 26 from 5 to 6 p.m. anywhere in North Reading. This is a suicide prevention and awareness walk to kick off the Virtual Overnight Out of the Darkness Walk in Boston.

Everyone is invited to choose their color and go for a walk in North Reading on this date for one hour. “It’s that simple. I’m hopeful that anyone driving through town on that day will have no doubt how much we recognize the importance of mental health and supporting one another with it,” Ford said.

Originated by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Out of the Darkness seeks “to save lives and bring hope to others who are struggling with their mental health or supporting someone close to them who is struggling with the illness itself and the stigma associated with it.”

Because losing someone to suicide or who is struggling with a mental illness can feel like no one understands what you are going through, the color chart below was designed to “show a personal connection to the cause” while helping “identify others who understand our experience,” according to AFSP.

The colors represented on the walk are: White: Loss of a child; Red: Loss of a spouse or partner; Gold: Loss of a parent; Orange: Loss of a sibling; Purple: Loss of a relative or friend; Silver: Loss of a first responder or military; Green: A personal struggle or attempt; Teal: Supporting someone who struggles or has attempted; Blue: Supporting suicide prevention.

“I’m so genuinely happy that these conversations are finally being had. They are so long overdue and I’m honored to be part of them,” Ford said. All YS programming can be found at: northreadingma.gov/youth-services/pages/summer-2021-programs.