Lynn Keane is a speaker, author, athlete and passionate advocate for suicide prevention and mental wellness. She has spent over a decade educating the public about the devastating reality of people in crisis and suicide.
Since the death of her son Daniel by suicide in 2009, Lynn Keane has dedicated her life to sharing his story, the underlying causes and contributing factors in depression and suicide—as well as the importance of treating mental illness with understanding and compassion. A deeply personal issue for Lynn as a mother and former broadcast journalist, she has turned Daniel’s story into a call for action to re-examine how we view and treat mood disorders.
In an interview with CBC Radio’s The Current, Keane explained her new reality and the shock over Daniel’s death:
“On April 28, 2009, my son Daniel died by suicide. I had no understanding that my 23-yearold son was living with depression. His disease left him unable to concentrate — and the self-loathing was crippling. As the shock began to lift I realized that by sharing Daniel’s story I could make an important contribution to others by examining his life and exploring the many factors in his depression and suicide. The process was difficult, but ultimately it was necessary to help answer the questions around ‘why’ our son would take his life. Living through tremendous trauma and grief inspired me to unpack the stigma that prevented our son from reaching for support and rethink how we view and treat mental illnesses and how we can better support our loved one’s in crisis.”
Through working with mental health professionals and organizations and her advocacy on various platforms, Keane has become a passionate, highly respected voice on mental health and suicide prevention in North America.
She has spoken at many high-profile events, including TedX Youth Toronto, The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans webinar, and The Summit on Suicide Research in New York City, to name a few.
As a former journalist, she has provided opinion pieces and editorials to numerous media outlets including The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Canadian Living, Vancouver Sun, CTV, CBC Radio and TVO. Keane has also contributed mental health & suicide prevention content to Unsinkable Stories, Inspire Magazine, and Feisty Media social channels.
Keane has been an ambassador for the national Canadian mental health awareness campaign Bell Let’s Talk Day and has appeared as a guest on several national television shows, including CTV.
Keane is a member of Trillium Health Partners, Youth and Family League for PROJECT NOW in Mississauga, Ontario, whose goal is zero suicide. She is also a long-time contributor to #SickNotWeak, a mental health and suicide prevention platform.