By Emma Vallelunga<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lisa and David Craig are the parents who did everything they could. Their daughter Corey couldn\u2019t see a world with herself in it anymore. Instead of telling her own story, her parents have vowed to tell it for her. What began as a tragedy about mental health, miscommunication and grief has become a long road to recovery and advocacy for better resources against the illness that took their only child too soon.<\/p>\n Corey was a junior at Bishop Ludden High School when she died by suicide in 2006. She was 16. Although she was friendly, out-going and energetic, Corey struggled with depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n Her parents had difficulty finding her the help she needed. There were limited mental health resources for teens and their families 14 years ago \u2014 few practitioners, long wait lists and little time. At one point, Corey\u2019s health seemed to improve with antidepressants, therapy and exercise. She began socializing, doing better in school and thinking about college. But Corey didn\u2019t tell them what was really going on inside her head. She confided in her friends that she was contemplating suicide, and her parents had no idea.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I knew she had said these things, maybe her treatment would have taken a different path,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cI don\u2019t blame her friends for what happened. She put warning signs out there to the people she trusted the most. They just didn\u2019t understand what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n After Corey\u2019s death, Lisa and David suffered through a waking nightmare \u2014 losing a child.<\/p>\n \u201cShortly after she passed, I was a basket-case,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get off the couch. When we did leave the house, I felt like I was being stared at. I stayed out of work for two months.\u201d<\/p>\n The Craigs said many of Corey\u2019s friends, their families and anyone else who knew her were the ones who supported them through their grief. In return, David said he and Lisa wanted to give back to the students who knew Corey, like donating wrestling mats or fundraising for sports teams. Without them, David said they wouldn\u2019t be where they are today.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we [didn\u2019t have] everyone at Ludden, I think everything would\u2019ve been different,\u201d David said. \u201cWe wanted to be there for her classmates. Having them to focus on was huge in our recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n But recovery wasn\u2019t easy. Lisa believes there are no rules, no timeline and no expectation to grieve the same way someone else does.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one teaches you about grieving,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to be sad as long as you need to be. Your life is never the same again. You have to figure out what your new normal is. It\u2019s going to be different for everyone, but you have to give yourself time to figure out what your new purpose in life is.\u201d<\/p>\n When discussing their daughter, the Craigs knew Corey was loved and admired by her peers, and they were fortunate to have the support system they did. When they attended support groups and listened to stories from other parents, they realized some had more difficulty opening up.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of these people go to these groups, [but] they cannot talk about their deceased loved one anywhere else,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cAnd that couldn’t have been further from the truth in our situation. We talk about her all the time. We\u2019ve always talked about her. She\u2019s always a part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple then decided to use their experience to educate their community and make a difference in the lives of teens like Corey. When some of Corey\u2019s friends were still in school, Lisa was asked to speak to students in high school health classes at Bishop Ludden, Christian Brothers Academy and West Genesee High School. She talked about her daughter, her experience as a parent, mental health awareness, suicide statistics and how to notice if they or someone they knew were showing signs of mental illness.<\/p>\n \u201cI had really good feedback from that,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cIn fact, I found out later that after hearing my talk, a girl in [one] class saved the life of a friend. It\u2019s hard to get help, but it\u2019s easier to talk about now.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple has also volunteered with the local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the past, and the Corinne M. Craig Memorial Endowment at Upstate University Hospital has helped support research, education and treatment for teens at risk for suicide since 2017. That March, they were asked to speak at a news conference for the hospital\u2019s Psychiatric Hisk Risk Program, the only one in the region specializing in the treatment of teens and young adults at high risk for suicide.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been involved with them, and they\u2019ve had a lot of positive results with this program,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cTreatment-wise, things are moving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n David and Lisa miss Corey every day, but they know they have to keep moving forward. Both are retired now, and they each keep themselves busy. Lisa exercises daily, enjoys baking and sewing, recently finishing a quilt made from Corey\u2019s old clothes. David also exercises, volunteers at the local VA hospital transporting veterans and donates platelets on a regular basis. And they still find time to visit Corey at the cemetery in the Valley section of Syracuse \u2014 right across from their home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can literally walk [there] if we choose to. We don\u2019t necessarily go together every day, but that\u2019s the first place I go every morning,\u201d David said.<\/p>\n Because Corey was born on Christmas Eve and died the day before Halloween, which also happened to be the Craigs\u2019 wedding anniversary, holidays were hard for a while. Over time, they had to find new traditions to navigate special occasions. They light candles at her grave every Christmas for her birthday, and on Halloween they bring her jack-o-lanterns with angels and hearts carved into them. Their marriage has only grown stronger since Corey died. They don\u2019t blame each other for what happened, and they survived together on the most difficult journey of their lives.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they lose someone, they have to realize that they\u2019re not alone,\u201d David said. \u201cPeople have come up to me so many times over the past 14 years and said, \u2018I don\u2019t know how you got through it,\u2019 and my answer is, \u2018How does anyone get through anything?\u2019 Everybody\u2019s going through something.\u201d<\/p>\n The Craigs receive many messages of love and support from Corey\u2019s friends and acquaintances to this day. They take pride in knowing that their daughter touched the lives of so many people both during her life and after she was gone.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never, ever get over this,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cIt\u2019s with me every single day of my life. You never get over it, but you can get through it. I always say Corey left us in good hands because of her friends and the families that we\u2019ve come close to. They were the first step in our recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After losing child to suicide, Lisa and David Craig turn to raising awareness for teenage mental health By Emma Vallelunga Lisa and David Craig are the parents who did everything they could. Their daughter Corey couldn\u2019t see a world with herself in it anymore. Instead of telling her own story, her parents have vowed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,99],"tags":[939,1133],"class_list":["post-2930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story","category-featured","tag-suicide-awareness","tag-teenage-mental-health"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cover-web.jpg?fit=1248%2C833&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2986,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2986","url_meta":{"origin":2930,"position":0},"title":"Meg Corey: The Heart Lady in Red","author":"Staff","date":"February 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"American Heart Association representative gets students exuberant about exercise By Jason Klaiber \u00a0 In her 13 years as youth marketing director for the American Heart Association, Meg Corey has never tired of putting on the same outfit every day, nor has she lost her fondness for jumping rope. Donning a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspire"","block_context":{"text":"Inspire","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1143"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG-2306-1-scaled.jpg?fit=912%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG-2306-1-scaled.jpg?fit=912%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG-2306-1-scaled.jpg?fit=912%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG-2306-1-scaled.jpg?fit=912%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2655,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2655","url_meta":{"origin":2930,"position":1},"title":"SELF-CARE: Philanthropy: Solving the social problem of mental wellness","author":"Staff","date":"November 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Nichole A. 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Philanthropy is not to be mistaken as charity.\u00a0Charity\u00a0works to eliminate the suffering caused by problematic areas in society, while philanthropy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/kat-yukawa-K0E6E0a0R3A-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/kat-yukawa-K0E6E0a0R3A-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/kat-yukawa-K0E6E0a0R3A-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/kat-yukawa-K0E6E0a0R3A-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/kat-yukawa-K0E6E0a0R3A-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=683","url_meta":{"origin":2930,"position":2},"title":"Jessica Lynn Huertas-Pringle","author":"Staff","date":"April 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"At Home in the Community By Marisol Hernandez | Photography\u00a0courtesy CNY Latino\u00a0 Jessica Lynn Huertas-Pringle, the unit director at the Hamilton Street Boys and Girls Club, considers herself blessed to have her unique cultural background. \u201cI am half Puerto Rican and half Polish,\u201d Jessica shared proudly. 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Photo collages adorn the walls \u2013 pictures of smiling children on beaches, posing with parents, sharing moments\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Feature"","block_context":{"text":"Special Feature","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DSC_0347.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DSC_0347.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DSC_0347.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DSC_0347.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/DSC_0347.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2770,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2770","url_meta":{"origin":2930,"position":4},"title":"INSPIRE: AnnMarie Otis: What would you miss?","author":"Staff","date":"January 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alyssa Dearborn Photo by Tara Polcara \u00a0 If you\u2019re struggling, AnnMarie Otis wants you to think about one existential question: What would the people in your life miss about you? What wouldn\u2019t you get to experience if you weren\u2019t here? In short, what would you miss? \u201cWhen I think\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AnnMarie-Otis.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AnnMarie-Otis.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AnnMarie-Otis.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AnnMarie-Otis.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AnnMarie-Otis.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2549,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2549","url_meta":{"origin":2930,"position":5},"title":"FROM THE EDITOR: September is National Suicide Awareness Month","author":"Sarah Hall","date":"September 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This is our arts and style issue, so you\u2019re about to read a lot of relatively light-spirited articles about fashion, music and the arts. So let\u2019s start with the heavy stuff, all right? September is National Suicide Prevention Month. We tend not to talk about suicide and mental health, because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Causes"","block_context":{"text":"Causes","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/woman-1006100_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/woman-1006100_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/woman-1006100_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/woman-1006100_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/woman-1006100_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2932,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930\/revisions\/2932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}