GREAT FALLS — Matt Lapke is happy swinging his son on the playground - he hasn’t always been so happy though. He, his wife Brenna, and their young son were hit by a drunk driver about four years ago.
"Matt sustained a pretty significant brain injury,” Brenna said. "After that injury, it triggered some mental health issues, depression and crisis.”
Brenna is the chair of the Great Falls chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. She and her husband only recently found out about the organization, which is why she’s organizing a walk on September 20.
She explained, “Had I known back then about the advocacy that NAMI can provide and the caregiver support groups and the peer support groups that they offer, it would’ve been a game-changer. It’s very important to us to get that information out there."
The walk is also a fundraiser for NAMI.
For Matt, the possibility of support for NAMI and the Great Falls chapter growing as a result of the walk puts a smile on his face. "We have veterans, we have young kids, old dads, moms, everybody, who has these problems in this town specifically. It would mean a lot to me to get together and make this happen, whatever we can do,” Matt said. "I don’t know exactly what that is yet, but it would be great.”
The walk will have many steps, each one another step in the journey to healing. Click here to learn more about the event.
