Kyle's Wish Foundation

08/01/2022

Pottstown Aircraft Owners and Pilots are having two big events in September. All are welcome! KPTW Limerick, PA

07/16/2022

Today marks the start of '9-8-8' as the new national su***de prevention and crisis hotline! The hotline will connect callers who may be experiencing distress with trained mental health counselors. ***dePrevention

07/02/2022

Nothing like it anywhere. Why I love being a pilot.

03/06/2022

Today, March 6th, is Black Balloon Day. We take a moment to remember those that we have lost to overdose.

Many of you know we lost my son, Kyle, in June of 2020 to an overdose. He was only 26 years old. What you may not know, is what an amazing human being Kyle was.

Kyle would often drop everything to be with a friend or family member who was suffering. His empathy was his greatest asset – allowing him to feel what others felt. Kyle made deep connections with those around him, relating to them, and giving them a shoulder to lean on. Kyle brought to others a rare sense confidence that things can be better than they seem. He willingly carried the weight of their problems for them when they could no longer carry it themselves.

We have been fortunate to meet so many people that Kyle helped – crediting him for their recovery. Many of his friends still speak of Kyle today as “one-of-a-kind” in his sincere personal humanity. To know what kind of person he was from their experience with him has softened the hardship of the grief we feel.

Every time we lose people like Kyle, the world is a lesser place. It does not have to be this way.

Please do not give up on those that are struggling with mental health, drug, and alcohol problems. No matter how hard you find it observing from the outside, it is little compared to the inner war they fight within themselves. No one chooses to feel or act in self-harmful ways, but they may not know a way out. Help them find a path.

Do not isolate yourself from them, or them from everyone else. Remember, presence is a present. Just being there with them can mean so much to those that suffer in silence.

While the loss of Kyle will forever be something we try to understand, We are still deeply inspired by him and his journey to help others. A commitment I and my family carry-on in his name.

The memory of those we have lost should inspire us to find those in need.

Stephen King wrote, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Be there and give them hope for something better.

02/13/2022

Some days, as I look through the pictures of Kyle, I’m reminded that there will never be a new photo or video of him. This is all I will ever have.

02/13/2022

Great Article on the State Of Mental Health from Thomas Insel of The Atlantic

"Current treatments work; mental illness is not a life sentence; people can recover. I witnessed programs, practitioners, and individuals working toward recovery, which is more than just a reduction in symptoms; it’s a return to a full and meaningful life. Or, as a very wise psychiatrist working in Los Angeles’s Skid Row defined recovery for me, “people, place, and purpose.” In other words, finding people for support, having a place or sanctuary to heal, and discovering a purpose or mission."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/american-mental-health-crisis-healing/622052/?utm_source=feed

10/05/2021

OUR POLITICIANS ARE FAILING US!

We are surviving Covid. We may not survive the mental health crisis it has brought.

According to the CDC, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, the Labor Department, the U.S. Education Department and countless peer reviewed scientific papers/studies, we are heading into massive need for mental health services.

The next 5-7 years we will experience a majority of our population struggle with their mental health because of the isolation, lack of services and polarization our political leaders used to unwisely address the pandemic.

Here are some alarming statistics: comparing 2019 to 2020:

30-40% increase in su***des (10 states at 40%, the rest averaging 30%)
50% increase in su***de attempts among females aged 12-17
30% increase in overdose deaths
18% increase in drug use (and rising by the month)
20% decrease in literacy rates in children (and decreasing with each semester) with communities of color nearly double that especially among young black males
40% decrease in skills development among workers in most industries
50% decrease in meaningful work opportunities
Overall double-digit increases in stress and anxiety among young adults, children and underrepresented communities (black, Latino, LGBTQ among others)

These are all verifiable statistics through many private and government entities.

We have time to address this. I am calling on my local politicians to help us plan now so we can help those in need.

Let’s get our elected officials to pay attention not to just what’s happening now, but what is coming.

Rep. Joe Ciresi President Joe Biden Governor Tom Wolf

There is no vaccine for mental illness. We won’t be able to so easily solve this with a shot in the arm.

If you think you won’t be affected by this, just wait. It’s justifiable for those of us trying to effect change to now be angry at the lack of funding, the poor performance of mental health services, the over-drugging by doctors and pharmaceutical companies and frankly, the ignorance of our political leaders in understanding how important this is to address this now.

We cannot operate a productive society with equality of opportunity if half our population is struggling to be mentally healthy.

We need to use this emotion to drive action.

Let's Keep Families Together!

10/03/2021

Our charity, Kyle's Wish Foundation, is now listed on Amazon's SMILE program. Please consider clicking the link and every time you shop at Smile.Amazon.com, you'll be making a donation from Amazon's charitable giving. There are NO EXTRA COSTS to you at all! Amazon simply takes .5% of your shopping and gives it to our charity!

You have to shop at smile.Amazon.com, this doesn’t work on the App. But a little browser effort can go a long way!!!

Click the link below to add Kyle's Wish as your charity of choice.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/85-4354149

When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate to Kyles Wish Foundation Inc. Support us every time you shop.

09/07/2021

132. That’s how many of our loved ones and friends will commit Su***de today - and everyday. Take time to reach out to someone who is suffering. Grab a coffee, take a walk. Just be there with them. KylesWish.com