![]() The eulogy described Thomas’ youth in Takoma Park, Md. “On the last hellish brutal day of that godawful miserable year of 2020, when hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions of people all over the world died alone in bed in the darkness from an invisible killer disease ravaging their bodies and minds, we also lost our dear, dear, beloved son, Hannah and Tabitha’s beloved irreplaceable brother, a radiant light in this broken world.” ![]() The moving post detailed how Thomas began grappling with depression in his 20s, and how the illness was “a kind of relentless torture in the brain for him.”ĭespite a large support network of relatives, friends and doctors “the pain became overwhelming and unyielding and unbearable at last for our dear boy.” “Tommy Raskin had a perfect heart, a perfect soul, a riotously outrageous and relentless sense of humor, and a dazzling radiant mind,” his parents wrote. Known to loved ones as “Tommy,” the second-year student at Harvard Law School was remembered as an animal lover and passionate vegan devoted to helping others. “Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me,” said the note, signed: “All my love, Tommy.” My illness won today,” his parents said in a Medium post. In a note left for his family on New Year’s Eve, the day he died, Thomas Bloom Raskin wrote “Please forgive me. Jamie Raskin and his wife Sarah on Monday published a heart-wrenching tribute to their late son, confirming that the 25-year-old took his own life last week after a long battle with depression. ‘Star Wars’ actor Paul Grant dead at 56: Played Ewok in ‘Jedi’Īctor from ‘The Wire,’ ‘John Wick’ dead at 60 MMA fighter dead at 27 after motorcycle crash in Italy You can also text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.Willis Reed, legendary Knicks Hall of Famer, dead at 80 The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 800-273-TALK (8255) There are a number of services available for help. If they don’t share the cause of death, Farinholt said, “it’s important that you respect that and you just provide your condolences.” “Lots of people are just not willing to talk about suicide,” she said. In talking to friends or family members who have had a suicide loss, Farinholt said it’s important to take the cues the family gives. And so there are sometimes fatal results.” My illness won today.”įarinholt said that even as we want to help friends and family who may be struggling with depression, it’s important to recognize “that these are not symptoms and disorders that people have complete control of - and neither do we or the family. The family published the note that Tommy left. ![]() They wrote that “despite the very fine doctors and a loving family and a friendship network of hundreds” that the pain became “overwhelming and unyielding and unbearable” and that Tommy took his own life. In sharing their loss, the Raskin family was frank about their son’s struggle with depression. And in many cases, that first diagnosis of a mental illness comes as the result of an emergency room visit or contact with the judicial system. However, only 43% of those with a diagnosable mental illness actually get treatment, according to Farinholt. “There is not one person who’s not affected somehow.” “We are all affected” said Farinholt of the impact of mental illness. And that affects all of us.”įarinholt said one in five adults in the United States will experience some form of mental illness in a year. “When someone dies by suicide, and if the family has been public about it,” said Farinholt, “the aftermath opens up an immediate opportunity to talk about suicide as a public health issue. And as if they’re facing the tragedy by themselves.”īut by issuing the statement, and explaining that their son Tommy - a bright, talented young man who suffered from depression - the Raskins opened the door to discussion and help. “And silence about a suicide loss just leaves people feeling isolated. “Stigma leads to silence,” said Farinholt. Kate Farinholt, executive director of the National Alliance for Mental Illness of Maryland, said the family’s decision to go public with the cause of their son’s death sent a powerful message.įarinholt said it helps chip away at the stigma surrounding suicide and mental illnesses like depression. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md, and wife Sarah Bloom Raskin, decided to issue a public statement about their son’s life - and 25-year-old Tommy Raskin’s suicide.
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