TV Producer Shares Tragic Story Of Father’s Death To Shed Light On Mental Health Crisis
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
A media producer publicly shared the heartbreaking story of his father’s death to illustrate the mental health crisis in the United States.
Andrew Kimmel, a former head of live video at BuzzFeed News and producer of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” began his Twitter thread with a disclaimer that the story of his father’s suicide, which happened a year ago, is dark but important to share.
1/ It has been exactly one year since I lost my dad. The events that led up to his death are dark, but I think it is important to share what and why it happened as Let me start by introducing my dad…
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) June 2, 2019
Family meant everything to his father, who 11 years ago began spending tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to help Kimmel’s sister, who was struggling with mental illness. As her condition became more debilitating, his father was diagnosed with an incurable nerve condition, peripheral neuropathy, which left him in constant pain. He was incapacitated by his bi-monthly plasma transfusions, but kept working.
The father decided to move the family to California in hopes of finding better healthcare options for his daughter. The mental health facilities were better, but there were no long-term options for her. At the same time, the main financial backer for his company pulled out.
At 70 years old, Kimmel’s father called him asking for help. He was in pain because he couldn’t afford treatment and struggling to pay rent. He tried to hide it all from Kimmel’s mom, his wife for almost 50 years.
While Kimmel was visiting the family in California, his father shot himself in the heart.
“His last words to paramedics were, ‘I failed my family,” Kimmel wrote.
That brought him to his plea about the country’s mental health crisis, sharing articles about continued funding cuts for mental health programs and rising insurance costs.
“My dad had no other options. He didn’t want to be a burden. He knew his health would not improve w/out [sic] being able to afford care,” Kimmel concluded. “He knew there would be no job for someone his age and in his declining health. And because of this, he knew he was worth more dead than alive.”
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
