Бывший глава YMCA в Медфорде открыто рассказал о трагической потере матери и борьбе с депрессией

Tomorrow Needs You: Local leader opens up after decades of silence MEDFORD, Ore.– Many in the Rogue Valley know Brad Russell as the longtime head of the Rogue Valley Family YMCA in Medford and a pillar of the community. But many don’t know that for nearly three decades, Russell has carried a painful family loss, largely in silence. He agreed to share his story with our own Craig Smullin as part of NBC5 and the United Way of Jackson County’s award-winning suicide prevention and mental health awareness initiative, Tomorrow Needs You. Russell hopes by sharing his experience that he can help others on their own healing journey. “We’re a Kodak family. And so you’ll see some of the pictures. Like, we’re all smiling, but there’s some real, you know, feelings and tragedy behind some of those smiles,” Russell says. The only child of Ted and Linda Russell, he says his mom loved animals, taught horseback riding and even let him tag along and visit farms and ranches throughout his childhood. But behind the smiles, Russell says, his mother was struggling with depression. “We didn’t talk about some of the deeper things. I didn’t realize she was battling depression,” Russell tells Smullin. In the winter of 1996, his mother died by suicide. The loss left questions that would stay with Russell for years. “It took me 20 or 25 years to even start talking about it. I think partly because I felt odd about it, I felt guilty. I also didn’t want to burden others with this story of tragedy,” he says. His grief didn’t disappear over time. “All these years later, I think of her most every day,” Russell says. But he found ways to carry that grief. A family friend and licensed counselor helped him early on. And one message stuck. “And I will say to you, it is not your fault. And she repeated that to me over and over again, it is not your fault,” Russell says. He says that reassurance mattered then, as much as it does 30 years later. He also found healing through his aunt, his stepmother and that same family friend who counseled him. “So now I write 3 or 4 Mother’s Day cards. Where in the past, I would only write one, you know, and so that was an important thing I learned along the way is to honor the moms and the, you know, women in my life that helped shape me,” Russell says. Then there is the outdoors. Russell says his mother helped spark a passion in him that would eventually take him across the country and into the wilderness. He calls it his ‘lifelong triathlon’. “One of the things that I’m really proud of in my personal life is that I have completed this 7,000-mile lifelong triathlon,” Russell says. This summer, he completed the final step, a 1,300-mile paddling journey from Washington to Alaska. The adventures are just one of the ways Russell takes care of his own mental health. Now, he is taking on a whole new challenge. “I’m pretty comfortable in my own skin, in a lot of different places. But, you know, this is pushing the boundaries for me to, to open up and to tell people about it.” Russell says. He’s speaking publicly in the hopes of helping others through their own struggles. “I don’t want to be sharing this story to shock people or to burden anybody, but more to perhaps offer some help or encourage people to seek help or to talk about some of the things so that just doesn’t consume them and they get some help,” Russell says. Russell says there’s no right way to grieve. Whether you speak with a professional, a loved one, a friend or a coworker, all of us are different. You may find healing through family, friendship, service, faith, nature or simply by learning how to be kind to yourself. “There’s some folks that would prefer to maybe keep some things quiet and that’s okay. I think it’s important that we’re all doing what we can to heal when there is a tragedy that there isn’t some perfectly scripted way of dealing with that,” Russell says. For Russell, healing has meant honoring his mother and the lessons she taught him, while doing good works in the community and having a career that fulfills him. He hopes by sharing his story he can help someone else be brave and take steps on their own healing journey. We’ll continue Russell’s story Thursday in part two of this exclusive series. He shares the speech he’s developed about his mother, which he’s shared with a local grief support group. He’ll also tell us why he believes the traditional ‘Golden Rule ’ needs a fresh perspective. Remember, if you or someone you know is going through a mental health crisis, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can learn more about NBC5’s and the United Way of Jackson County’s award-winning suicide prevention and mental health awareness initiative, Tomorrow Needs You, here. © 2026 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated. About the Author Craig Smullin Craig Smullin is a Northwest Emmy® Award winning Executive Producer and Salem Bureau Chief for KOBI-TV/NBC5 News. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Craig graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California with a degree in Recreation Administration and Sports Management. Since joining KOBI-TV/NBC5 News in 2005, Craig has performed virtually every job in the newsroom: News Director, Sports Anchor, Producer, Reporter, series and segment host and anchor of NBC5 News at Sunrise, NBC5 News at 5 and NBC5 News at 6. Outside of the newsroom, Craig loves exploring Oregon’s beautiful beaches and forests with his family. He is a dedicated fan of the San Francisco 49ers and all things NBA, and loves snowboarding the slopes of Mt. Ashland.