Death by suicide touches many, many families.

I am heartbroken for the Prescott family for the loss of Jace and in awe of Dak for vocalizing the full range of emotions he has felt since losing his brother in this interview with Graham Bensinger.

Feeling those emotions - and not burying them or running away from them - is so hard but so important.

Hearing Dak talk about his mother -who he had already lost- and the promise he made to her to take care of his brothers, is gut wrenching. You can imagine the guilt anyone

might feel. Guilt can be so heavy and all encompassing and destructive; in fact, what it is is a destroyer of your emotional energy. Andthat's something we should never allow. Our emotions are something we all need. Dak realizing that and sharing that as he mourns is so powerful.

My fear is all of this is looming for of all of us. There’s been so much anguish and grief in all of our lives this year. I talked about the rolling anxiety attacks that I had last week which caused me to miss work. I knew my triggers but even that couldn’t stop it.

But here's the thing: mental health doesn't discriminate. How we talk about it does.

For anyone asking 'what does this mean for Dak as a team leader,' or wondering 'how this plays in the lockerroom with the young guys'

you're asking the wrong questions. That is stigma.

Mental health is simply health. Or as Dak said it even better in the interview: "mental health leads to the health of everything else."

Now, it’s understandable why we ask the wrong questions when it comes to mental health: we are woefully uneducated as a society in talking about it and our track record dealing with mental health is poor (nationally, globally, in the home, in schools, church, everywhere) and it

makes us feel uncomfortable and requires us to have empathy for others and ourselves and we all need to be better at that, always. But the stigmas are lurking everywhere and have polluted our discussions and even worse, our policies.

The fact is, this is what Dak fought through by speaking out.

And this is what Dak dealt with in his own pursuit for wellness.

And this is what he can and did offer so many when he talked about his depression and his brother’s suicide.

He had already proven and demonstrated his leadership before you even tried to ask the flawed and ignorant question.

This week is National Suicide Prevention Week.

If you or someone you know are in need 1-800-273-8255 for free, confidential emotional support.