Woman Pulling Casket For 80 Miles To Raise Suicide, Mental Health Awareness
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A woman is walking 80 miles while pulling a casket from her home to the New Jersey state capitol to raise awareness of mental health issues, including suicide and addiction.
Greta Schwartz set out on her three-leg journey Monday and plans to arrive at the statehouse in Trenton on Wednesday.
The 48-year-old has a backpack of water and is storing food in the wooden casket that she is pulling behind her with a strap fastened to her waist. The casket has the word ``revolution'' printed on its lid. It also bears the names of about 70 people to whom Schwartz had a personal connection who have killed themselves. The casket has two wheels at the narrow end to help Schwartz pull it.
"I can't just sit around,'' she said. "This is happening. I have over 70 names. That's just people I have a connection with. Not even strangers.''
She said her son knew two students at Ocean City High School who killed themselves in 2014 and 2015.
Schwartz, who owns the Red Sky Cafe in Seaville, put her theatrical experience as a former actor in New York City to work after attending a discussion on mental health from former Rhode Island U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who spoke in November at Stockton University.
Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, now lives in Brigantine and has been a political advocate for mental health issues.
Schwartz said Kennedy told the audience the only way to make a change was to be loud.
"I'm not a professional in the field. I'm just a mom with experience,'' Schwartz said. "So my goal in this is to use this election year to really get people to talk about it.''
Schwartz walked from Seaville to Hammonton on Monday and was headed from Hammonton to Mount Holly on Tuesday. She'll set out Wednesday for Trenton.
Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The national suicide rate was about 13 per 100,000 people in 2014, the latest year when statistics were available, according to the foundation. New Jersey tracks lower than the national average at about eight per 100,000, according to the foundation.
The state operates a suicide prevention hotline and website.
Mental health awareness has also been a huge initiative of New York City first lady Chirlane McCray. The city launched a $2 million advertising campaign in April meant to get people thinking and talking about mental health problems.
McCray says the campaign aims to "change the mindset around the mind" by showing that mental illness isn't shameful and recovery is possible. She's spearheading a broad city effort to expand access to mental health care and change attitudes about it.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
