The parents of Mary O’Gara, a compassionate and caring student who tragically took her own life, are determined to create a space for open dialogue about suicide and mental health among young people. Mary O’Gara was just three months into her nursing course at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston when she lost her life to long-term depression in May 2020.
Her parents, Sharon and Paul O’Gara, are committed to starting meaningful conversations about mental health to help prevent others from experiencing the same pain. To mark World Mental Health Day, they’ve collaborated with UCLan to set up empty chairs, each representing a young life lost to suicide, outside the university.
Furthermore, they’ve founded the Mary O’Gara Foundation, which offers and funds suicide prevention training to educational and community institutions that work with young people across Lancashire. Their goal is to raise awareness and provide support to those who may be facing mental health challenges.
Mr. O’Gara expressed, “If doing what we are doing can prevent one person from taking that same path, as far as I’m concerned, that’s a massive victory.”
Mrs. O’Gara emphasized the importance of being suicide-aware and recognizing subtle signs. She revealed that their family underwent suicide prevention training, and in hindsight, they now see those signs.
UCLan’s head of student support and wellbeing services, Megan Blissett, highlighted the significance of these efforts in fostering open conversations about mental health. She mentioned that UCLan provides training for students and emphasized that no one is immune to experiencing poor mental health.
The O’Garas are determined to honor their daughter’s memory by promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention, with the hope that their actions will make a significant impact on the lives of young people.
