Shirley Weddle, long time Mesquite resident, is a community liaison and Mental/Brain Health and Suicide Prevention awareness advocate. After she and her husband Brad lost their only child Matthew to suicide in 2014, she began the search for the “why” of suicide and now collaborates with multiple organizations and individuals to promote brain/mental health, prevent suicide and support those that have lost someone to suicide.
Shirley is the Charter President and co-founder of the newly chartered cause based Suicide Prevention and Brain Health Rotary eClub, a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Facilitator of a Survivors of Suicide Loss Grief Support Group, AFSP North Texas Chapter Research Connection chairperson, and ambassador and volunteer for the UT Dallas Center for Brain Health and VA Mental Health Community Task Force, building upon her knowledge and experience as a Medical Imaging and Informatics Healthcare Professional for over 35 years.
Shirley strongly believes that a key to improving our mental health and preventing suicide in the future is educating people that “mental health” is “brain health’ which is “physical health”, understanding how our brains develop and how factors such as sleep, diet, exercise, stress, impulsivity and the associated chemicals in our brains affect our actions and reactions. Her dream is that through research, we will be able to utilize functional imaging techniques to better identify and understand brain health issues so that we can then treat and monitor improvements. She feels that her efforts provide a way to honor Matthew’s memory and allow him to continue to help others through her.
Shirley is married to Brad Weddle, member of the Mesquite Rotary Club.
All Podcast forum links below 👇🏼
APPLE:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-behind-the-silence-the-truth-no-one-wants-to-talk-about/id1611253082
Anchor:
https://anchor.fm/whatsbehindthesilence/episodes/Why-does-your-inner-child-need-healing-e1gmesu
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4vLVUOSA4f05AKQKRvIkE0?si=zZHnHzfEQoaCt782nX9CS
Disclaimer: All podcasts are of personal opinion and experience and are not intended to diagnose or treat mental illness.
