Content Warning: I will be discussing heavy themes around suicide and depression. Keep that in mind and please click away if you need to and take care of your mental well-being.
On New Year's Eve, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) shared a brief statement regarding the death of his son, Thomas. The statement was brief and vague, not mentioning how his son died or the circumstances around his death, leading me and I'm sure many others to believe the death was not an accident, and likely self inflicted (drug overdose or suicide). The few people in the twitter mentions who asked about cause of death were quickly criticized, stating that if the representative wanted that information out he would have said.
The Raskin family chose to release that information, and I was deeply moved and heartbroken. And I want to share my own personal thoughts on it here.
In a loving but heartbreaking tribute, Rep. Raskin and his wife shared their son's journey with what they noted was a lifelong illness of depression, including his final note which confessed to his parents he had lost that battle.
I won't lie, reading the article and the tribute was difficult for me. Especially considering I am in my own ins and outs with bouts of depression, I didn't want to hear about someone who had lost his battle. While I in no way want to criticize his grieving parents for writing about the son they loved and lost, I did want to write something in response, from someone in a similar age who is still fighting, and still living.
