Jason Kander Is Dropping Out Of Kansas City Mayor Race To Seek Treatment For PTSD
Source: Talking Points Memo
By Kate Riga
October 2, 2018 2:40 pm
Democratic Kansas City mayoral candidate Jason Kander, an Afghanistan veteran, has announced that he will be dropping out of the race to seek treatment for worsening PTSD symptoms.
Im done hiding this from myself and from the world, he wrote in an open letter.
When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself. And I wasnt sharing the full picture. I still have nightmares. I am depressed.
Kander ran for and narrowly lost Sen. Roy Blunts (R-MO) Senate seat in 2016, becoming something of a political celebrity in the process. Since then, he has founded and run Let America Vote, an organization meant to combat voter disenfranchisement.
Read Kanders full letter here.
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Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kander-dropping-out-of-mayor-race-ptsd
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)nt
KCDebbie
(664 posts)brooklynite
(94,737 posts)About four months ago, I contacted the VA to get help. It had been about 11 years since I left Afghanistan as an Army Intelligence Officer, and my tour over there still impacted me every day. So many men and women who served our country did so much more than me and were in so much more danger than I was on my four-month tour. I cant have PTSD, I told myself, because I didnt earn it.
But, on some level, I knew something was deeply wrong, and that it hadnt felt that way before my deployment. After 11 years of this, I finally took a step toward dealing with it, but I didnt step far enough.
I went online and filled out the VA forms, but I left boxes unchecked too scared to acknowledge my true symptoms. I knew I needed help and yet I still stopped short. I was afraid of the stigma. I was thinking about what it could mean for my political future if someone found out.
That was stupid, and things have gotten even worse since.
By all objective measures, things have been going well for me the past few months. My first book became a New York Times Bestseller in August. Let America Vote has been incredibly effective, knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors and making hundreds of thousands of phone calls. I know that our work is making a big difference. And last Tuesday, I found out that we were going to raise more money than any Kansas City mayoral campaign ever has in a single quarter. But instead of celebrating that accomplishment, I found myself on the phone with the VAs Veterans Crisis Line, tearfully conceding that, yes, I have had suicidal thoughts. And it wasnt the first time.
Im done hiding this from myself and from the world. When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself. And I wasnt sharing the full picture. I still have nightmares. I am depressed.
Instead of dealing with these issues, Ive always tried to find a way around them. Most recently, I thought that if I could come home and work for the city I love so much as its mayor, I could finally solve my problems. I thought if I focused exclusively on service to my neighbors in my hometown, that I could fill the hole inside of me. But its just getting worse.
So after 11 years of trying to outrun depression and PTSD symptoms, I have finally concluded that its faster than me. That I have to stop running, turn around, and confront it.
I finally went to the VA in Kansas City yesterday and have started the process to get help there regularly. To allow me to concentrate on my mental health, Ive decided that I will not be running for mayor of Kansas City. I truly appreciate all the support so many people in Kansas City and across the country have shown me since I started this campaign. But I cant work on myself and run a campaign the way I want to at the same time, so Im choosing to work on my depression.
Ill also be taking a step back from day-to-day operations at Let America Vote for the time being, but the organization will continue moving forward. We are doing vital work across the country to stop voter suppression and will keep doing so through November and beyond.
Having made the decision not to run for mayor, my next question was whether I would be public about the reason why. I decided to be public for two reasons: First, I think being honest will help me through this. And second, I hope it helps veterans and everyone else across the country working through mental health issues realize that you dont have to try to solve it on your own. Most people probably didnt see me as someone that could be depressed and have had PTSD symptoms for over decade, but I am and I have. If youre struggling with something similar, its OK. That doesnt make you less of a person.
I wish I would have sought help sooner, so if me going public with my struggle makes just one person seek assistance, doing this publicly is worth it to me. The VA Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255, and non-veterans can use that number as well.
Ill close by saying this isnt goodbye. Once I work through my mental health challenges, I fully intend to be working shoulder to shoulder with all of you again. But Im passing my oar to you for a bit. I hope youll grab it and fight like hell to make this country the place we know it can be.
Jason
logosoco
(3,208 posts)I wish him peace. And I hope to see him back on the scene in the future. He is the kind of person I like to see in the party. He has intelligence and a heart.
I wish him the best. PTSD has such stigmas and he's being brave by seeking help.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Are there any options to run somebody else?
xmas74
(29,676 posts)but Kander was the most well known and was set to win the race. I'd like to see who he will endorse in the near future.
The River
(2,615 posts)who has lived with PTSD for 50 years, I understand.
Recognizing you have it changes everything.
Unfortunately, during our time, it was considered not "manly" to seek help for PTSD, we were pretty much told to suck it up and move on.
UpInArms
(51,284 posts)Am sorry he is having troubles
I hope the best for him and his family