Episode 116: Adriane Handy, Chair, American Society for Suicide Prevention of Greater Kansas City

Written By Susie Gurley

In this honest and vulnerable conversation, Adriane shares her extremely difficult journey as a wife who lost her husband to suicide in her late 20s. Adriane talks about her son, Braden, who was only 7 when his dad died by suicide. She also discusses how Braden struggled tremendously with his own suicidal ideation and how he lost his best friend to suicide at the age of 16.  Adriane laments the difficulty in finding a good therapy fit for her son, and how she struggled herself to deal with the grief and loss in unhealthy ways along. While she struggled with her own depression, Adriane talks about how she worked to find joy in her life again. In 2018, Braden graduated from high school, and Adriane learned about AFSP (https://afsp.org/). She had felt that she was alone in a boat in the ocean with no one to talk to, and AFSP gave her a place to talk about her experience. Since that time, Adriane has been very involved with AFSP. Adriane strives to be a healing balm for others, which is a critical part of her own healing journey. Adriane now finds joy in helping others in whatever capacity they need. Adriane concludes this episode by emphasizing the importance of talking about mental health, asking questions, and being supportive to someone who is struggling. Adriane encourages listeners to ask the direct question if there are concerns about suicide, and to utilize 988 as a resource for help.

Susie Gurley

Susie Stapp Gurley was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She married her college sweetheart, Dan Gurley, shortly after graduating from TCU with a degree in advertising and public relations. In her first career, Susie worked in college admissions and academic advising. Simultaneously she pursued a master’s degree from The University of Central Missouri in sociology and then worked for the Sedgwick County, KS Department of Aging as a case worker. Susie stepped away from the professional world in 1997 to become a stay-at-home mom. She spent the majority of the last 25 years as a wife, mother, and volunteer, primarily in her church and her three children’s schools and activities.

Susie became a mental health advocate after her youngest son became a teen spokesperson about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In 2018, at the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, a music festival promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Will shared his personal mental health struggles with the 1,000-person crowd, which started his role as a local KC teen advocate for mental health. Because of Will’s involvement, Susie recorded a video #Zeroreasonswhy (https://zeroreasonswhy.org), a Kansas City area organization working to end teen suicide in the Johnson County, Kansas area. This video was viewed over 10,000 times, which was the impetus of the Just A Mom podcast. Susie decided that she needed to follow the brave trail blazed by her son and became an outspoken advocate for parents of children who struggle with mental illness. The Just a Mom podcast launched in September of 2022 and encourages parents to know that they are not alone and there is hope.

Susie served as the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival and is currently on the Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Board. Susie has grown three children, two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law.

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Episode 115: Joanne Martinez Dunn Part 2, Mom and Licensed Professional Counselor