DAYTON — Tragedies like gun violence, devastating storms, and even the COVID-19 pandemic weigh heavy on communities.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the ‘Spotlight to Shine the Light on Mental Health’ town hall event took place at the University of Dayton Basketball Arena Wednesday night.
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University of Dayton Basketball Coach Anthony Grant talked about how his daughter, Jayda, died by suicide.
Grant hopes talking about his daughter’s death will encourage others to seek the help they may need.
“It is our hope that, none of them have to feel what my wife and my boys have been feeling, having someone lost something that we feel could have been avoided,” Grant said.
Grant said Jayda died over two years ago, during the pandemic.
“She was having depression, anxiety,” he said. “So, our hope is that putting on this event is that Jayda’s life, however brief, and her death however inexplicable, served a purpose.”
Grant’s goal in sharing his story is to shine a light on the community’s several organizations that work to make sure people do not feel alone.
One of those organizations is ‘Ellie Mental Health’ in Centerville.
“Which is one of the big things about Ellie is that we want to remove the stigma, make it easy for people to have services and just you know, tell them to come by,” Clinic Director Lynn Harris said.
Lynn Harris and Psychologist Caleb Exhem were just one of at least 30 vendors that set up tables and distributed information around the arena.
“There’s only one version of yourself and we want to keep that version,” Exhem said.
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. So rather than do that, contact us, come let’s talk it out,” Harris said.
Grant said he isn’t done shining a light on the importance of mental health.
“Just know that you’re not alone. There is help and there is hope. Your life matters. You’re loved. Life is better with you,” Grant said.
In just under two weeks, CareSoure and the University of Dayton will host an exhibition game against Xavier to spread awareness of mental health for young adults and suicide prevention.
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