Groups Feed

Welcome to our group We Love Maddy Group! A space for us to connect and share with each other. Start by posting your thoughts, sharing media, or creating a poll.

Jordana and I headed north on Broadway early Saturday morning on August 16th to join Junior Ranger staff and community volunteers for our 2025 service project to honor Maddy. We knew some of Maddy’s and our friends would be there, but we weren’t sure how many people would actually show up. And, even though we generally knew the area we would be working in and what we would be doing, we didn’t know the specifics.

When we arrived at the parking lot on Lee Hill Road we found that Junior Ranger ranger leaders and team leads were already at work. At least a dozen of them were setting up shade tents, bringing out tools, and bringing in large water coolers. We walked over to the table they had set up about 100 feet from the trail head with things to set up in honor of Maddy: a picture, a sign…

But I didn’t know you had a top brand blender.

For fruit smoothies or maybe, even, margaritas?

For company in your apartment, sweet and luscious?

Or just yourself, to make it through the loneliness of lockdown?

I didn’t know about your climbing gym membership

Or your two pairs of climbing shoes, your harness, and all that rope.

Another year? How can this possibly be? How can Maddy’s death, the experience that

tore at the fabric of our family, that clawed at our reality and tested the limits of our

suffering have happened 4 years ago, in the early dawning hours of a new day that was

supposed to be shaped by hope and health? How is it that time is warped in such a way

that 4 endless years, 1,460 excruciating days of sorrow have passed while equally, this

rending is as real as if it happened yesterday, with every detail forever etched in our

We're humbled to finally be sharing with you the report put together by Healthier Colorado after the convening we had last year, in honor of Maddy. The report, which you can access here: Issue Paper on Acute Suicidality: An Urgent Need for Systemic Change, sheds light on the rapid onset of sudden suicide crises and gives recommendations for things people can do right now to better anticipate and respond to these critical events. 

You know what a labor of love the convening was for our entire family; it was the culmination of about 18 months of deep and intense work on Jordana’s part as the team at Healthier CO and she researched and investigated the science behind sleep, mental health, and new diagnoses that we knew nothing about. Our hope is that this report will be the catalyst for changing the way we think about and respond to the mental health crises…

It's with a Heavy Heart I write this Today but also a smile and Laughter.

I miss you and Love you so much. I hope I am not reaping Myself, Which I do often

I Do Remember the Summer that you and Your Sister'z would come To Grandma"s

And all the Sleeping Bag's in the Back Room on the floor never to be folded up until you guys left.

I also Remember when you showed up at Grandma's with your Motorcycle and almost rode it into the front door.

Always leaving with food on the back of your Bike. Grandma used to say to Me" Maddie is coming go to the store."

One of the amazing connections and opportunities to share Maddy’s life and what we learned came out of the Convening held in July 2024. Dr. Igor Galynker, one of the experts who presented his theory of the Narrative Crisis Model and Suicide Crisis Syndrome, asked if I would consider presenting at the 2025 American Psychiatric Association conference in Los Angeles in May 2025.

He had been developing a proposal for a unique session with fathers in mind and wanted me to join their group. I agreed and, when the proposal was accepted, met the three other fathers he had asked to join. We began to prepare for the conference and started to get to know one another, and shared what happened to each of our children. We all agreed that we wanted to support each other through what might be a very challenging event.

And what we learned was challenging.…

Maddy and my path in life only crossed for a brief few months many years ago but the impact he made on me lives in my heart forever. He was a bright light and someone that showed me kindness, courage and bravery in a time when I so desperately needed it. I’m grateful for the time we spent sharing our love of sour beers, climbing, watching movies, and exploring Montana de Oro. This year, I was grateful to honor him on my Dia de los Muertos ofrenda which gave me an opportunity to reflect on his impact on my life and share him with my friends and family. Always in my heart, Maddy.

It's with a Heavy Heart I write this Today but also a smile and Laughter.

I miss you and Love you so much. I hope I am not reaping Myself, Which I do often

I Do Remember the Summer that you and Your Sister'z would come To Grandma"s

And all the Sleeping Bag's in the Back Room on the floor never to be folded up until you guys left.

I also Remember when you showed up at Grandma's with your Motorcycle and almost rode it into the front door.

Always leaving with food on the back of your Bike. Grandma used to say to Me" Maddie is coming go to the store."