'Silent epidemic': Obituary of mom, 28, shines light on suicide, mental health

When Mindi Hoggan’s daughter Chaylie, 28, died by suicide on May 17, Hoggan knew she wanted something that honored Holmgren and raised awareness about mental health. “If talking about it, exposing it, shouting it from the rooftops, will help even one person find a way to talk about their pain, a difference can and must be made,” the obituary reads. “This family should be saluted for their courageous approach to this epidemic,” Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, told TODAY, adding that death by suicide has increased steadily every year since the 1990s. “The more light you let into the room, the less toxic it is likely to be. This is part of the human experience: despair, perfectionism, mental health, vulnerability.”