ABOUT THE SUNFLOWER PROJECT
Mental health awareness and acceptance are very important to me. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness." However, it is a problem that is often swept under the rug or treated as a character failing. My hope is to raise awareness of mental illness, specifically suicide awareness and prevention.
I have experienced firsthand how devastating the impacts of suicide can be on everyone around the individual who lost their own battle with mental illness; I lost my brother, Joshua, to suicide in 2012. In honor of his memory, I have taken the sunflower, which he loved dearly and made it a symbol of hope for those who are suffering with mental illness, and their loved ones.
ABOUT JOSHUA
Joshua was born on March 28, 1992, in Nagoya, Japan. He was a brilliant child but really struggled with emotional troubles, so our parents took him to many medical professionals over the years. At age 11, he was diagnosed with mental illness. His disease would wax and wane in intensity, but he fought hard to never let it slow him down. As he was three years older than I, he would often take on a “big brother” role. One of my fondest memories was when I was in kindergarten and I got injured by a bike chain. He helped me limp home from school, took some of the blood coming from my leg, put it on a specimen slide, and pulled out his microscope. He showed me my red blood cells and taught me very basic hematology. I was fascinated by this and have developed a deep love of science and medicine.
A Loving Individual
Joshua was always trying to help others like he helped me. It did not matter if you were a stranger or someone who had previously been unkind to him. He would help you. He kept a saying on his dresser that said, “No man knows another’s heart,” and he truly lived by this. He taught many of us who knew him that we do not know another person’s intentions and to never be quick to judge someone else. His love extended to all living creatures and nature. He particularly loved sunflowers and every year would dutifully plant and grow a mammoth variety that were often over eight feet tall. He loved that they were both beautiful and provided food for the birds.
The Ladybug Game
In the year before he died, he developed a sort of game with all of the extended family. He was living with my grandparents and found little wooden ladybugs. At nighttime, he would carefully hide them all over my grandparents’ house, putting them on the highest points of the vaulted ceilings where not even the ladders could reach. He would mischievously deny any involvement, and it quickly became fun to try to find new ladybug locations. To this day only two people know how he managed to place some of the more difficult ladybugs. I am not one of them.
A Long Fight
Throughout a 10-year period, he was hospitalized 12 times for treatment, and he desperately struggled to overcome the effects of chronic depression and other mental health disorders. Even though he fought valiantly, he did ultimately lose his battle with mental illness and died by suicide on May 6, 2012.
MAKE AN IMPACT
With The Sunflower Project, I hope not only to raise suicide awareness but to bring a message of love and hope to those who are struggling or need it. I also want to help move research and visibility forward, so for the years of 2021–2022, I will donate 20% of all profit from The Sunflower Project collection to organizations that align with my goals and values. Such organizations include the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.