Pete’s legacy for suicide prevention

By Curt Swarm

No one likes to talk about suicide. And if a person does talk about suicide, the people they talk to typically don’t know how to respond. “No, don’t do that.” Or the trite cliché, “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary situation.” Which is true, but does it really help the suffering individual?

Suicide has reached crisis proportions nationwide. The U.S. averages 132 suicides per day. But when it happens, people are shocked. “If they’d just said something, or reached out. People have to talk to each other. Something needs to be done!”

Well, JJ Feehan of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Mt. Pleasant, is doing something. He had a close friend, Mat, who he called Pete, kill himself, leaving a wife and two children behind. No one knew there was a problem. There was no note, just a lot of shock, grief and questions.

It was when JJ was going to commit suicide himself, and would have, except the bullet was a dud, that he decided to take action.

On Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. (10/10 at 10), 42-year old JJ Feehan is going to run through Mt. Pleasant on Washington Street, starting at the Press Box Grill and Bar on the west side of Mt. Pleasant, and finishing in the Hy-Vee parking lot on the east side. The distance is around two miles. His purpose is to raise awareness about suicide and educate people on what they can do and who they can reach out to if someone is contemplating suicide.

JJ will be led through town by Highway Patrolman Dean Jalas, in a squad car. Posters are being put up around Mt. Pleasant. Hopefully, the run will be an annual event and turn into a fun run. But for now, the first time, JJ plans to run alone to emphasize that, “No one will have to run alone with the help of others.” He may be carrying a flag.

JJ (short for John Junior after his dad, John Feehan, of Mt. Pleasant) formed a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization called Pete’s Legacy. JJ’s dad is on the board of directors, as well as Patrolman Dean Jalas. JJ is an adviser to the board. There is a website, peteslegacy.org where numerous organizations and helplines are listed for the prevention of suicide. There is a link for veterans.

Pete’s Legacy apparel, like T-shirts, tank tops and caps, can be purchased on the website. All donations and proceeds from the sale of apparel go directly to organizations for the prevention of suicide. JJ maintains the website at his own expense.

Even though JJ is running through the streets of Mt. Pleasant for the prevention of suicide, he is not a runner. His father, John, is a well-known runner in SE Iowa, but it never rubbed off on JJ. So it seems a little odd that JJ will be running for the purpose of suicide prevention. JJ shrugs it off. “I wanna feel the pain, man. I wanna sweat, I wanna hurt for Mat. I wanna be alive! If it helps one person recover from wanting to kill themselves, well then it’s more than worth it.”

JJ realizes he has some training to do, and his father has laid out a training regimen for JJ to follow to get in shape for the Oct. 10 run. He’s up to a mile now, without stopping. Like the stigma of talking about depression and suicide, it starts with the first few words, “I need help.” Running two miles for the prevention of suicide starts with the first few steps.

Contact Curt Swarm at curtswarm@yahoo.com