Lynn and Mellow Walk for Suicide Awareness
PRESS RELEASE
September 10, 2026
Chillicothe, OH - When Lynn first began walking the Chillicothe VA campus with her dog, Mellow, she wasn’t trying to stand out. She simply wanted someone to feel seen.
After living more than 30 years with daily suicidal thoughts, Lynn says what she needed most during her hardest moments is the same message she now brings to Veterans: “It’s okay not to be okay.”
Her connection to Veterans runs deep. Several members of her family served, including her ex-husband Paul, her brother, and her cousin. Lynn witnessed the quiet struggles that can accompany depression and PTSD, and she remembers how isolating it felt to believe no one understood her own pain. She hopes her presence on campus shows Veterans that someone truly does.
During Suicide Awareness Month in 2024, Lynn committed to walking daily. She carried a brick in her backpack, marked with painful words she once believed about herself. Its weight symbolized depression; its scars symbolized trauma. At the end of the month, she crushed the brick with members of her mental health team, calling the moment “freeing.”
But the miles aren’t what matters most to her. It’s the conversations. During one walk, a family stopped her after reading “YOU MATTER” on her bag. They had lost a loved one to suicide just a week earlier. Lynn shared her story, and they shared theirs. Encounters like that, she says, remind her why she keeps walking.
Today, when Lynn and Mellow move across campus, drivers call out, “Where’s Mellow?” The four‑legged companion has become a familiar face; one whose calm presence lifts spirits and helps open difficult conversations.
Lynn hopes to organize monthly stigma‑breaking walks for the community. Whether someone meets her once or joins her regularly, she hopes her message stays with them: “Just stay for another day. Find people who will be there for you. Today needs you, and tomorrow might, too.”
Her closing words echo what’s written across her backpack: You matter. Always.
Meet Lynn and Mellow at our “Don’t Wait. Reach Out.” event at the Chillicothe VA campus (Building 9 Auditorium) on September 23rd, between 1pm and 4pm.
Media contacts
Alan Graves, Public Affairs Officer
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