Saving the Lives of Our Youth
October 12, 2020
DENVER—It’s a grief that’s unimaginable. Deep, raw, and ever present. Laura and John Stack are still reeling over the loss of their son to suicide less than a year ago.
Johnny was 19 and addicted to high-potency marijuana.… Read the rest
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide method mentioned
I woke with a start. It was 1:03 AM on Thursday, November 20, 2019. I reached over to pick up the phone, fully expecting to see Johnny’s name on the screen again, and instead, it said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.… Read the rest
To some women, Mother’s Day can bring sadness, because they lost a child to natural causes, an accident, an illness, a crime, or to suicide. Women struggling to conceive can also experience feelings of unworthiness or isolation on Mother’s Day. So Bereaved Mother’s Day honors these women’s painful feelings.… Read the rest
When my forever 19-year-old son, Johnny, was a young boy, he and I had a “secret” that we kept to ourselves. I told him God told me when he was born he was going to do something really important in this world.… Read the rest
It was the middle-of-the-night knock on the door that every parent with a teenager fears: the police. But the call wasn’t to bail out an adolescent who got in trouble. Instead, it was the grim news that Johnny Stack, age 19, was dead.… Read the rest
Our forever 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide three months ago today. He would have been 20 on Feb. 7. We still miss him terribly but are putting one foot in front of the other. Thank you to those who continue to check on us and offer support and comfort.… Read the rest
On the two-month anniversary of Johnny’s death (two days ago), John and I attended a grief group for suicide survivors at our local hospital. The facilitator wanted to end “on a positive note” and asked us what gift we’ve received or good that has come from our loved one’s death.… Read the rest
Happy New Year dear friends. I love you. Truly. Your love and support are helping me heal from Johnny’s suicide. Thanks to you, along with my darling husband John and my children and family, there was no possible way I could be alone.… Read the rest
Many of you have asked me to let you know if there’s anything you can do. I think there may be! I first want to thank Jane Jenkins Herlong for commissioning this beautiful artwork of Johnny’s “Values I Believe are the Most Important.”… Read the rest
This Christmas, our 1st without Johnny, I’m thinking of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who brought Jesus into this world today. Oh, how she loved him, smiled at him, cared for him, and took pride in him. Then the day came for him to depart this world and join His Father in heaven, and he left her.… Read the rest