A Mother’s Story of Suicide Loss: Honoring Her Son and Fighting Depression’s Lies

Suicide is devastating, complex, and deeply misunderstood. In this powerful conversation, Patty Kajawa shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 18-year-old son, Jack, to suicide—and the ways she continues to honor his memory.

Patty’s story reminds us that depression doesn’t always look like the stereotypes. Jack was funny, outgoing, and deeply loved. Yet behind the mask, he was struggling with an illness that ultimately took his life. Patty shares what she wishes more parents, teens, and communities understood about depression, suicide warning signs, and the importance of telling the truth in therapy.

This episode is raw and difficult, but also filled with love, resilience, and hope. Patty’s message is one of remembrance, kindness, and courage—urging us to support one another, ask the hard questions, and build a world where people feel they truly belong.

Primary Topics Covered:

• Why “awareness” alone is not enough for suicide prevention
• The role of kindness and community in supporting mental health
• A mother’s experience of losing her teenage son to suicide
• The reality of masking depression and hiding suicidal thoughts
• Honest conversations parents can have with teens: “Are you safe?”
• The importance of telling the truth in therapy and psychiatry
• Breaking stereotypes about who struggles with depression
• Where hope still lives, even after devastating loss

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and context for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
 01:15 - Jess Stoneman-Raney’s post on radical belonging and prevention
 02:54 - Patty Kajawa introduces her kindness challenge for her son Jack’s birthday
 04:02 - The importance of small acts of kindness in a hurting world
 05:27 - Revisiting Patty’s 2018 interview after her son’s death
 06:38 - Dr. Barbara Moser on the complexity of suicide prevention
 09:28 - Patty shares her son Jack’s story and the family’s struggle
 11:24 - Jack’s humor, kindness, and hidden depression
 12:31 - The difficulty of getting honest answers in therapy
 13:55 - Why depression doesn’t always match media stereotypes
 15:09 - How Patty and Jack used the phrase “Are you safe?”
 16:05 - Creating mental health days and giving kids tools to cope
 17:12 - Grappling with “what ifs” and the limits of parental control
 18:26 - Patty’s faith and ongoing commitment to sharing Jack’s story
 19:08 - Updated language guidelines for talking about suicide
 19:31 - Closing reflections and encouragement

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