Recently I read an article about the Denver Bronco’s wide receiver Kenny McKinley’s apparent suicide by The Associated Press. McKinley was found with what police say was a self-inflicted gun shot wound at his home in Denver. Investigators say that McKinley had been depressed over a recent knee injury only shortly after recovering from a similar injury last season. An officer reported that, McKinley made statements around his friends like “he should just kill himself.” Unfortunately nobody believed he was serious about his statements. He had a one-year-old son, his family, his teammates, his friends, and his fans that he left behind because he took his own life.
After reading this article I thought about how one life can affect so many other people in very different ways. I thought about the son that was left behind without a Dad. I thought about the team that would have to deal with this tragedy and still not let their fans down. When someone is depressed they may feel like they aren’t worth much, or like they aren’t relevant, but they are. Everyone has people that love him or her and care about them; but when they can’t see that it is so sad. I know from experience that it is really hard to have an injury because when you can’t play, you tend to feel helpless. You feel like you can’t do anything to help your team and are letting everyone down. You feel like they don’t need you, and it makes you question your value. I understand some of what Kenny McKinley might have been feeling, but not as deeply as he felt it. I just wish someone could have recognized the signs of his depression. To realize it was more then just being upset about being injured again. Depression is a serous matter if more people could recognize the signs, and get help for themselves, friends, or family they could ultimately save a life.
One person can affect so many lives, even if they don’t realize it or understand it they really do matter. Last year we had two deaths occur at my middle school. One was my really close friend who died from cancer. After the first death we were all slowly recovering only to have another student die two weeks later. The only difference was that the second student took his own life by means of hanging himself. If only he knew how many people cared about him maybe things would have been different. I remember walking down the hall and seeing so many people crying, and seeing people find out about the death was really hard; especially, because a lot of us were still getting over my friend Aaron’s death. Depression and suicide are very serious matters and it really is a hard thing to have to go through having someone you know kill themselves because they are unhappy. The worst part is that when someone takes their life they might think they are only affecting one life and that it is better for everyone else around them. However, the reality is that it affects so many other people and makes a tragic situation even worse. My thoughts and prayers go out to the McKinley Family.
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