I heard Cheryl speak at the National Federation of Families Conference (https://www.ffcmh.org/) in November of 2024, where she very vulnerably shared her experience of losing her son, DJ, to suicide seven years ago. On this episode, Cheryl talks about what a gifted athlete and student DJ was, and how she and her husband had no idea that DJ was struggling. Cheryl candidly discusses the hours, days, and weeks following DJ’s suicide and how their friends and community surrounded them and held them up during this time. Cheryl offers advice and tips to parents based on what she has learned since DJ’s death, as well as how her Christian faith has sustained her and led her to the establishment of the DJ Deas Marvelous Light Foundation (https://djdeasmarvelouslightfoundation.com). Cheryl’s life passion is to prevent another family from experiencing death by suicide. Cheryl wants people to know that even on the darkest days, there is still hope, and it’s ok to not be ok.