Chronically Strong

We see a world where mental illness is destigmatized, and where individuals find healing and a sense of community. We want to help you grow #strongereveryday.

Our story starts with Katie, a 23-year-old beautiful young woman who was the daughter of our founder, Gina Casner.After a decade of 52 su***de attempts, multiple mental health treatment centers, and years of being estranged from her family, Katie, was pronounced brain dead on April 8, 2019 as a result of taking her own life. During the inconceivable final hours by Katie’s side, Gina made a promise

to her daughter that Katie's life legacy was going to count and that her suffering would have meaning. After months of pondering how she could honor Katie’s life and help others, clarity came. In March 2020, Gina joined the Don’t Give Up Signs Movement out of Oregon, and placed over 300 signs with positive messages in 6 Central PA counties during the COVID-19 pandemic. These signs had messages like “You matter,” “We’re all in this together," “Your mistakes don’t define you," “You are not alone.” These signs caught the attention of local news media and quickly gained traction. - https://bit.ly/3vrvjXY. Once the sign project ended, Gina knew that Katie’s story couldn’t end there. She saw how important it was to create mental health awareness. Once that awareness was generated, creating lasting change was the real answer to helping her community. In June 2020, using part of Katie’s Instagram handle to honor the strength it took to live a life while coping with mental illness, Chronically Strong was formed. Eventually, Gina realized that there are many faces of mental illness and that to be a true organization of change, Chronically Strong needed to be shaped by the community. By March 2021, Chronically Strong installed its inaugural Board of Directors and Committees. At Chronically Strong we believe that individuals coping with mental illness become stronger when their friends and family are supported. At Chronically Strong we are helping point individuals and families in crisis to resources. We are educating community leaders, organizations, and individuals on mental health, su***de prevention, and shaping change through the language we use to describe mental illness and those whom are coping with mental illness. We are doing advocacy work and supporting legislative reform that enhances the community’s ability to support those coping with mental illness. Most of all, at Chronically Strong, we offer a voice to those searching for their own. We hold space for the individuals, friends, and families coping with mental illness. We are a light shining to help our community find their way out of the darkness. We want you to know that you matter and we are glad you are here.

09/21/2023

Shining a light on su***de prevention in Cumberland County: Local survivors share their stories and inspire hope While su***de may seem like a distant issue, it is a problem that hits close to home for many, including those in Cumberland County.A screening of a documentary

09/18/2023

How is your mental health today?

09/17/2023

Trauma can be both a reaction and a memory.

09/16/2023

***decafe Eradicating stigma of su***de and mental illness.

09/15/2023

09/14/2023

“The provisional estimates released today indicate that su***de deaths further increased in 2022, rising from 48,183 deaths in 2021 to an estimated 49,449 deaths in 2022, an increase of approximately 2.6%. “

Chronically Strong believes that su***de is a community problem that requires a community solution. Be a part of the solution.

09/13/2023

09/03/2023

09/03/2023

Did you know we welcome volunteers ages 14 & up to help us spread the word about su***de prevention? Send us a DM if you are interested

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Who is Chronically Strong?

Su***de is up by 72% in high school teens. Su***de rates across the U.S. have spiked in the past 20 years. According to the CDC, the su***de rate in PA has risen by 34.3% and it is the #3 cause of death in ages 15 to 24.

On April 6, 2019 I received a phone call that my daughter Katie was in the hospital and that she was not likely to make it through the night. On April 8, 2019, Katie was pronounced brain dead after more than 50 previous su***de attempts and dozens of hospitalizations.

As parents, we can hardly think of anything worse than surviving our own child. What I remember most about that night I got the call is sobbing in the waiting room, and thinking how much I wanted Katie’s life to count. I think it is easy for us all to go through times in our life that we feel like we don’t matter. We can feel buried in our emotional pain until we aren’t able to see light anymore. When we can’t see light, we begin to only see the pain, and sometimes the only way out that we see is death.

Katie was an amazing young woman. She loved animals. She had a gentle spirit. She had a smile that lit up the room, and a mind like no other. Katie saw things as they are as well as how they could be. She would sacrifice herself to help another, and would smile through the pain. One of her greatest dreams was to become a doctor and it is through her death that she was able to help countless others through organ and tissue donation. Katie’s life mattered. Your life matters too.

Contact the organization

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Telephone

+17179630016

Website

http://www.chronicallystrong23.com/

Address

5021 Earl Drive
Harrisburg, PA
17112