Shortly before my 28 year-old brother took his life in 1985, he told my mother, “If you ever have money to donate, give it to mental health research.”

The Jonathan Brooking Memorial Fund for Mental Health Research at McLean Hospital was established by my grandmother, Margaret Williams Dumaine, in honor of his request. Its purpose is to fund research that advances our understanding of the causes of mental illness, uncovers effective methods of diagnosis and treatment and improves the lives of those affected by psychiatric illness.

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For a period of time, McLean Hospital was my brother’s home, and it was also a safe haven for our family as we, too, struggled through the challenges of his illness. Now, McLean is a source of hope because gifts to Jonathan's fund enable work that will ensure that others don’t experience the hardships that he did.

Despite what my brother endured, I think there was a grander purpose in his abbreviated life—he suffered so others may not have to. The silver lining of his tragic story is that he was a catalyst for discovery and advancement in mental health research.

I’d like to think that if we can continue to bring the subject of mental illness out of the shadows and apply brilliant minds to this cause, we might see some real progress. My greatest wish is that together, we can destigmatize mental illness and maybe even find a cure. That would be a wonderful legacy for Jonathan and an amazing gift for us all.

It’s likely that you or someone you love has been touched by mental illness. Your gift to the Jonathan Brooking Memorial Fund is an opportunity to acknowledge the pain and sadness mental illness can inflict on entire families, and to do something meaningful to help change that.

On behalf of Jonathan, thank you for making a difference. 

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Liz Brooking