Who We Are

Matthew;s Crew was established after the heartbreaking loss of our beloved Matthew shortly after his 17th birthday. Despite his valiant battle against depression, Matthew died by suicide in February 2020.

Matthew was determined to never give up the fight against this disease, and spoke about getting well in order to help others battling mental illness. Though we will never be able to fill his shoes, we will continue the mission he started; to change the dialogue around mental health and find a way to support and connect with those who experience mental health issues.

There is so much room for improvement in the delivery of mental health services in this country. Starting with the proactive discussion of feelings and emotions in young children, to the more mainstream screening of depression and anxiety in teenagers and young adults, to the incorporation of a full mental health assessment with every annual physical for all patients including adequate resources at every stage for those who need specialized support and treatment.

Unfortunately, that may be more than our Crew is able to tackle at this point. But even though we will start small, we’ve set our sights high, because Matthew always did. He aimed for the stars. And we will continue his war against depression and anxiety  in order to affect a positive change in our community. We want people to talk about it. Talk about feelings, positive and difficult. We want to encourage people to know how to ask and how to respond, and where to find resources for help. And we want to shine Matthew;s light on depression so that no one feels alone, and that it can be normalized in health care and brought from out of the shadows.

Matthew’s life was a gift from God, and though it did not end as we had hoped, we know that God makes all things new. We will use the gift of Matthew’s life to bring joy and hope to those who need it.