Suicides aren’t typically reported as news stories, but unfortunately, one was recently — that of Neena Pacholke.
Neena was a news anchor for WAOW in Wausau, Wis. She was also a former basketball player for the University of South Florida and a Packers fan before even moving to the Badger State because her mother’s side of the family is originally from Wisconsin.
Family. Let’s not forget that. She was a family member. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and so on. Yes, she was a TV personality, but she was a human being too. A human being who needed help.
I didn’t know Neena, but as someone who used to be in “the biz” of TV news, it stung me to read of her death.
It’s the same for many fields and industries, but TV people know what it’s like to be in TV and what TV people go through.
Honestly and emotionally speaking, it’s surprising what happened to Neena doesn’t happen to more people in TV, and I know of too many that it happened to already, not to mention those coping with mental challenges on a daily basis while working in that medium and just “deal with it” and “survive”.
I used to joke that unless you’re really rich or really famous, you’re out of TV by the time you’re 30.
I ended up getting out at 29. A good number of the people I either went to college with or started in TV with did the same.
Maybe it was subconscious protection of ourselves.
But I digress . . .
A common thing I’ve seen in most of the coverage about Neena’s passing is contact information or other help for those who are struggling with mental illness or other related challenges.
Is that enough?
I see those phone numbers, web links, etc. posted and published all over the place. I think many people know they exist, yet, they’re not used when they’re most needed.
It’s also so easy to see someone struggling or guess someone is struggling and advise them to “get help,” sometimes said with more compassion than that and other times not.
That’s roughly akin to seeing someone on the side of the road with a flat tire and telling him or her that they need to change it. Thanks.
Here’s some more opining. People struggling with the great unseen — mental or emotional woes — aren’t crazy, disturbed, unstable, or whatever words one wants to think of for a label.
Someone with a broken leg, in need of an organ transplant, or in a serious accident is treated with care and concern.
We wouldn’t dream to scoff at them and belittle them for their physical maladies; why do we do the same for someone struggling inside of themselves?
Mental struggles are literally costing people their lives.
They’re worth saving. Each and every one of them.
It’s got to be easier to do so.
There needs to be more comfortable and easy access to people that can help.
There needs to be less vague help given and less paperwork as a roadblock to getting help.
No one is asking anyone to be a doctor and set someone’s broken bones, but there are other ways to help.
Care. Love. Listen. Don’t pander. Don’t look down upon. Don’t patronize. Don’t criticize. Don’t judge. Be there. Do something small to help them at that moment. You don’t have to make their world a better place, but you can get them through the next minute.
I’m not going to pretend to know what was going through Neena’s or anyone else’s mind before what happened happened, but no matter what, they didn’t get the help they needed.
As brothers and sisters, we have to be better than this.
We have to help.
We are our brother’s keeper.
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.