The Story Behind the Mission
Martha's Incident
A call to action for mental health reform.
Posted on social media
“My sister was involved in the tragic incident in my hometown (Lufkin) on Friday January 15, 2021. Her adult son (my nephew) struggles with bipolar 1 and goes into manic episodes. We were in contact days before the incident — I could tell my nephew was in a manic episode and he needed to be helped.
We looked for resources and it was becoming a very intense situation. My sister called the local MHMR (the Burke Center) where my nephew had been admitted before. They stated that someone needed to be in danger before they could pick him up.
Hours later my nephew stabbed my sister in the neck, and she will be taken off life support tomorrow.
This story is tragic in so many ways. Please — we need to do something about mental health in our country. My sister's death will not be in vain. I'm determined that her love, generosity, and legacy will live on. I know that she still wants my nephew and others like him to have help.
I'm dedicated to raise awareness and make a change even if it's just one person or one family. I tell you this not because I need sympathy. But because it's a call to action. We need to do better. We need to be better as a country with our sick brothers and sisters.
I hope that you can help me in raising awareness. I will be starting a foundation in her name to offer services to people who struggle.”
Martha's story is the story of too many families across America. When someone you love is in crisis, the system should be there to help — not turn you away until it's too late.
Martha's Legacy exists because of this failure. We are committed to ensuring that no family has to experience what ours did. By removing financial barriers to mental health services and raising awareness about mental health and disabilities, we honor Martha's memory through action.
This is not a story about sympathy.
This is a call to action.