9-Minutes Read
By Kina Velasco | WeINSPIRE Journalist
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Imagine sharing an apartment with the same friend for three years and seeing the same face everyday, three years of daily goodbyes, hellos, and all the laughs and late-night conversations. That’s what Jarred Keller’s life was like, until he and his roommate moved out of their New York City apartment. Just three weeks after the two parted ways–Keller heading to Washington D.C., his roommate to Atlanta–Keller received a phone call saying that his roommate, a flight attendant at the time, took his own life during a layover due to mental illness.
“When you’re seeing people like my friend who are seemingly fine, take their own lives, you can’t ignore a person like that, who was fine on their day to day, then one day you get a call they’re no longer alive—you need to do something about it,” Keller said.
While Keller always knew he struggled with mental illness growing up, he never spoke up until his friend's passing. “That’s what really propelled me,” Keller said. “After he died, I felt like I had to do something, I couldn’t just keep quiet anymore. His death shook me up and made me feel like [I needed] to do more.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year, and more than 50 percent will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life. Keller has been part of a movement that changes the narrative around mental health–de-stigmatizing it and directing public
9-Minutes Read
By Kina Velasco | WeINSPIRE Journalist
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Imagine sharing an apartment with the same friend for three years and seeing the same face everyday, three years of daily goodbyes, hellos, and all the laughs and late-night conversations. That’s what Jarred Keller’s life was like, until he and his roommate moved out of their New York City apartment. Just three weeks after the two parted ways–Keller heading to Washington D.C., his roommate to Atlanta–Keller received a phone call saying that his roommate, a flight attendant at the time, took his own life during a layover due to mental illness.
“When you’re seeing people like my friend who are seemingly fine, take their own lives, you can’t ignore a person like that, who was fine on their day to day, then one day you get a call they’re no longer alive—you need to do something about it,” Keller said.
While Keller always knew he struggled with mental illness growing up, he never spoke up until his friend's passing. “That’s what really propelled me,” Keller said. “After he died, I felt like I had to do something, I couldn’t just keep quiet anymore. His death shook me up and made me feel like [I needed] to do more.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year, and more than 50 percent will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life. Keller has been part of a movement that changes the narrative around mental health–de-stigmatizing it and directing public
9-Minutes Read
By Kina Velasco | WeINSPIRE Journalist
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Imagine sharing an apartment with the same friend for three years and seeing the same face everyday, three years of daily goodbyes, hellos, and all the laughs and late-night conversations. That’s what Jarred Keller’s life was like, until he and his roommate moved out of their New York City apartment. Just three weeks after the two parted ways–Keller heading to Washington D.C., his roommate to Atlanta–Keller received a phone call saying that his roommate, a flight attendant at the time, took his own life during a layover due to mental illness.
“When you’re seeing people like my friend who are seemingly fine, take their own lives, you can’t ignore a person like that, who was fine on their day to day, then one day you get a call they’re no longer alive—you need to do something about it,” Keller said.
While Keller always knew he struggled with mental illness growing up, he never spoke up until his friend's passing. “That’s what really propelled me,” Keller said. “After he died, I felt like I had to do something, I couldn’t just keep quiet anymore. His death shook me up and made me feel like [I needed] to do more.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year, and more than 50 percent will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life. Keller has been part of a movement that changes the narrative around mental health–de-stigmatizing it and directing public