As the 9th Annual Walk/Run for Hope presented by Prevent Suicide Manitowoc County draws ever closer, another area role model has joined the fight to prevent suicide.
Katrina Mazier, who was named Miss Harbor Cities 2020, tells SeehaferNews.com this topic is so important to her because “I actually have a previous history with suicide prevention awareness. The entire reason I got involved in the Miss America Organization was to speak out about suicide.”
Mazier, who was born and raised in the Darboy area, explained that her struggles began when she was in 2nd grade, when she started suffering from anxiety and was diagnosed with depression in High School. Her downward emotional spiral continued as she experienced sexual assault and bullying which led to a suicide attempt at age 16.
As is the case with many suicide attempt survivors, Mazier said she wants to “make sure no one else goes through what I have gone through.” Talking about feelings of depression can be a very hard thing to do, but as Maizer explained, “I became ready when I started talking about it. I started by telling one person my story, then opened up to a couple more people. Then I found myself speaking in front of rooms of people. Then I found myself speaking in front of thousands of people.” She went on to say that as she began to hear other people’s stories, “It made me realize how important it is to share this because you’re not alone. No matter how much you feel like people aren’t struggling with this, they are.”
Ms. Harbor Cities also explained that everyone’s experience is different, and downplaying something they went through is not going to help because, “It’s all in that own person’s mindset, because something that is really bad for someone may not be very bad for somebody else. We all have our own things we are going through, and I think we just need to be a little more empathetic towards others who are struggling.” Maizer said she is excited to work with the community for the next two years, as the Ms. America Pageant decided to allow the 2020 winners more time to help their respective communities. She said it has been hard to find ways to connect since a lot of area events that would normally allow those opportunities have been canceled.
The Prevent Suicide Manitowoc County Walk/Run for Hope is taking place throughout the month of September. You can still register at PreventSuicideManitowoc.com. For more information on the Miss Harbor Cities pageant, or Kristina Maizer, go to MissHarborCities.org, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
