When the news broke late last week that Stevens Point native and three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton has worked as high-class escort for the past year or so, people around here were obviously shocked.
Many of us know her, and many of us are very fond of her. She put the spotlight on Stevens Point during her Stevens Point Area Senior High School, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Olympic running days. In high school during the early 1990s, I remember my friends – all cross country runners – talking about her and her many running accomplishments with pride. If a Wisconsin runner could do these things, then they could, too.
Favor Hamilton has returned to the area on numerous occasions as a celebrity spokesperson at sporting events such as Walk Wisconsin and the Run Bike Duathlon, bringing with her a spark of enthusiasm that has encouraged local athletes and non-athletes to keep working harder. At Walk Wisconsin the past two years she could easily make people smile by encouraging people to dance to the music as they crossed the finish line, and her motivational workout before the Run Bike Duathlon had nearly everyone fired up for the endeavor they were about to endure.
While I don’t know her to the extent many local people might know her, especially her friends and family who still live here, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing her in stories to promote these events and at these events themselves. As someone in the media spotlight for many years, she’s always been able to give me the type of quote journalists like.
Yet, something about her has always made her seem at a distance from those like me who don’t really know her on a personal basis. This disconnect was difficult to describe at the time, but in hindsight it probably had a lot to do with what she has said she’s been struggling with for years, including during her prime running career – depression.
She’s openly talked about depression in other media interviews, including one with the Milwaukee Journal last year, and it’s an issue many people battle.
Depression, though, is one of those mental health issues many people don’t want to openly talk about, as there is a strong negative stigma attached to it. Although a large percentage of the population receives medication for it, try finding someone who will admit to taking these meds, as these people fear others might look down on them for taking them.
After the Newtown, Conn., tragedy two weeks ago, people started talking about mental health and the stigma that is associated with it. We need to address this issue and rid this world of this stigma, they’ve said.
One week later, with an opportunity to talk more about one of the many issues under the mental health umbrella, many people used it as an opportunity to pass judgment on someone who has had the courage to discuss this topic. Instead of talking about the harm depression can cause, we’ve instead talked about the harm Favor Hamilton has caused by her actions.
Favor Hamilton could have denied the accusations, or she could have kept silent on the matter, as many celebrities might do. Instead she chose to admit what she has done, apologizing to her family, friends and fans, and then telling the world it’s been a struggle dealing with depression. Many of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point communication professors I know would say she’s handled herself perfectly in the media in responding to this.
We could continue to condemn her for what she’s done, but then we’d be robbing ourselves of someone who has done a lot for this community. We should instead forgive her of what she’s done, and then hope someday she will be able to talk about her struggles with depression and encourage others to get the help they might need.
* * *
Originally published in The Portage County Gazette on Dec. 28, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment