Carrie Mathews - LEO Suicide Loss Survivor

Carrie Mathews joins us on the podcast.Carrie is a police officer from from the Chicago Police Department, and comes from a family of service in law enforcement. Mental health has always been a focus of Carries. However, when her father - a retired officer himself - died by suicide, Carrie became an outspoken advocate for mental health in first response, and has become known for bringing attention to "the other side of suicide". In this episode Carrie shares what it was like growing up in a law enforcement family, the pride, the challenges, and the influence her father had on her life. She talks about the experience of becoming a cop herself, her career with Chicago PD, and the devastating impact that losing her father had on Carrie and her family. She shares about her grief, the complexity of those emotions, how she moved forward, and converted her pain into purpose by advocating for first responder mental wellness.