After Sister's Ordeal, Family Fights for Those Suffering From Depression

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Jaclyn Esguerra wants people to know depression is not something wothy of shame.

Ever since her younger sister, Joanna Albert, suffered a severe concussion while cheering for Herndon High School, the injured teen has suffered from depression.

Joanna's depression can get so serious, Esguerra said, she was hospitalized earlier this month.

But instead of hiding her sister's battle with one of the most common mental illnesses in the country, Esguerra wants to support her and others by spreading the word that help is available no matter how insurmontable the depression can seem.

This Saturday, June 1, she will be lacing up her walking shoes and heading into Washington, D.C., to participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Overnight event, a 16- to 18-mile walk from sunset to sunrise, that raises funds and awareness for suicide prevention. 

According to AFSP, close to 1 million people across the country will make a suicide attempt this year, and more than 38,000 will die by suicide.

“These statistics are troubling, but it is important to know that suicide can be prevented," said the elder Esguerra, a 1998 Herndon High School graduate. "That is why I am walking in The Overnight. I want to take action to prevent suicides."

Esguerra said that at first it was difficult for her family, longtime Herndon residents, to talk about Joanna's struggle with depression and how it affected them. Taking such a sensitive family ordeal public was not an easy decision to make.

"But, we realize that the whole point of this is to bring awareness to suicide, depression and other mental illnesses. To not be ashamed. To 'come out of the darkness,' like with the Overnight Walk," she said. "If we can save even just one life, it's all worth it."

"It's not something to be ashamed of," she said. "Bringing this issue to light will help so many people avoid losing loved ones. I want to bring awareness to depression and suicide and the other mental illnesses that so many people in our society are dealing with."

Joanna, a passionate member of the Herndon High cheerleading team, often served as the base of the team's pyramids and other formations, so "she was often fell on," Esguerra said, adding the extent of Joanna's injury wasn't evident at first.

"We didn't realize how bad her concussion was until after the season was already over," Esguerra said.

Once they got Joanna treatment, her doctors advised her not to do anything too "brain-stimulating" for some time, she said.

That's when Joanna's depression started to surface.

The whole experience has been an eye-opener for the family, and Esguerra is taking everything her family has learned about depression and putting it out there to try to help others like her sister.

AFSP representatives hope that by bringing this event to the nation’s capital, it will elevate a national conversation about suicide prevention, as well as motivate leaders to take more action regarding this serious public health problem, Esguerra explained.

Proceeds from Out of the Darkness Overnight support research and a variety of prevention, education and advocacy programs, including distribution of the Foundation’s "More Than Sad" educational program on teen depression and suicide prevention to high schools across the country.

Joanna was just cleared to do 'normal' things again, Esguerra said — even cheer.

Slowly, Joanna is starting to find her voice about the whole experience as well. In a letter delivered to Patch through her older sister, Joanna had the following to say about how it feels to be gradually getting back to her old routine again:

"It feels scary. Everything about this journey requires strength, endurance. Instead of swimming in the darkness, you surface from it. And then you fall in, over and over again. Breath, sunshine, choking, drowning, darkness again. So yeah, happiness exists again, but so does fear."

Esguerra will walk as part of "Team Joni" in the Overnight Walk this Saturday. Those who wish to support her team can do so online.

For more information about the Out of the Darkness Overnight walk, visit www.TheOvernight.org.

For more information about suicide, such as risk factors and warning signs, and what you can do if you think someone you know is at risk of suicide, visit www.AFSP.org.