Jordan Burnham is a
confident, articulate young man who makes appearances to speak about mental
health awareness and encourage youth to seek help when things are bothering
them. Jordan speaks from experience and from his heart, which is why the kids
who hear him pay close attention and feel comfortable asking him questions.
Jordan recently visited Dr.
Julius Licata, Director of TeenCentral.Net, and graciously gave a talk to the
teens who are in treatment at KidsPeace in the PA Residential Programs, making quite
an impression on the kids and adults who heard his presentation. He also talked
to the members of TeenCentral.Net via videotape, hoping to help teens feel more
comfortable about admitting they have problems and seeking help.
Jordan’s Story
Jordan learned early on
that wearing a happy mask was the best way to keep up appearances and pretend
to be “normal.” His true feelings were deep inside and only came to the surface
when he had consumed a lot of alcohol. His “cover” for seeming happy included
sports, jokes and dating. He became very popular and won the election to be
class president in 9th grade. All the while, he was hiding feelings
from his family and friends. Then he failed his driving test for the third time
and lost his cool for the first time, yelling, screaming and cursing at his
father. His mother took him to a counselor, but he found it hard to relate to
her. He was diagnosed with depression in 10th grade.
Jordan Burnham
As Jordan entered 11th
grade, he felt more pressure to do well on his standardized tests and make sure
his slipping grades got better in order to get accepted by a good college. It
was in 11th grade that he started thinking about suicide. He was
taken to a “mental hospital” after telling his girlfriend that he was going to
take pills to end his life. Hearing about the problems of the other youth in
the hospital made Jordan feel that his issues were minimal and actually
apologized in group for “only” suffering from depression. The hospital counselor
told him that his depression was a serious issue that needed treatment just as
much as the conditions of the other youth.
After he was released,
Jordan experienced great guilt for doing things that in his mind disappointed
his parents, both of whom are educators. He drank more and more and was caught
drinking illegally twice. The final blow was when he threw a party while his
parents were out of town, serving alcohol to school athletes. The party was
broken up by the police, and Jordan felt he had truly hurt his parents with his
behavior.
Senior year arrived, with
Jordan being nominated to the homecoming court and playing golf so well that he
was headed for the playoffs. His parents confronted him with two duffle bags of
alcohol that were in his trunk. They were sad and disappointed.
Jordan felt terrible about
letting his family down. He went to his room and jumped from his 9th
floor bedroom window, fracturing his pelvis, tibia, fibula, jaw, femur and ribs
and waking up after a 5 day coma with a tracheotomy tube in his throat to allow
him to breath. Doctors were amazed that he had survived, but they were not
optimistic about his ever walking again. Imagine being in your senior year of
high school and being confined to a hospital and then a rehabilitation
facility.
A reporter heard about
Jordan and asked if he could write his story. Jordan insisted that the focus of
the story be on mental health issues and the importance of getting help for
problems no matter how young a youth is. The article was published on the front
page of the newspaper, and Jordan began receiving many calls and emails
thanking him for sharing his story.
Jordan attended his senior
prom in a wheel chair and used a walker to receive his diploma. Today, Jordan
walks on his own, but with difficulty.
See a video of Jordan's presentation at www.TeenCentral.Net
Speaking Out
Jordan has made it his
mission to take his story to audiences that will benefit from hearing about his
struggles. He has appeared on CNN, ESPN, “Good Morning America,” “The Doctor
Phil Show,” “Good Day Philadelphia,” “The Early Show” and the Phil Eskin radio
show and has nearly 1,000 of fans on Facebook. He also appeared in a
documentary directed by Joe Pantoliano called “No Kidding, Me Too!” and was
featured in a People Magazine article
that highlighted “The Heroes Among Us.”
To Jordan, his most
important role is as a speaker for Active Minds, a nonprofit that promotes the
discussion of Mental Health issues through chapters on college campuses. Jordan
travels the country for individual speaking engagements and is a panel member
with other members of the elite group of Active Mind speakers called “The
Heard.” He has had people who have heard him speak contact him to say that he
helped dissuade them from suicide, a wonderful byproduct of being on the
speakers’ circuit for Jordan.
And what does the future
hold for Jordan Burnham? At 21, he would like to finish writing a book about
his experiences this year and continue to reach to as many young people as
possible with his presentations and appearances. He has been invited to appear
on the Oprah show, as well. Jordan takes medication for his depression and
still sees a therapist. He will eventually return to college to finish his last
2 years, but, right now, helping others is the most important job he can
imagine.