#SpeakUpforLee - Lee Macmillan - Mental Health

After living an extraordinary life, and fighting a brave battle with depression, our hearts are shattered to share that Lee took her life on Friday, March 26, 2021. She was the brightest light, a magnetic force of nature and was loved by so so many. 

If we can do one thing for Lee now, in the midst of this soul-crushing loss, it’s to spread the message that mental health is just as real as physical health, and that illness can strike anyone, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Lee's struggles with her mental health were also compounded in her last months of life by persistent and often vicious cyberbullying, and we want to drive home the point that cyberbullying has real life consequences -- the people on the other side of the screen have real lives, real feelings, and real struggles of their own.

We are raising funds in her name to donate towards Mental Health Awareness and to combat Cyberbullying. If even one person can be spared her fate, it will be worth it.

Lee was an advocate for mental health. She was candid and open about her own struggles. She was receiving help: from professionals, from family, from friends. She had support around her. She was not alone, she was not trying to fight this alone. And yet she still succumbed to this terrible illness. It is more nuanced than we can, or do, appreciate or understand. 

Life is more complex than a single social media post. Things are complicated. Don’t believe what you see online. Get out into the world and talk to your loved ones. Check in. Ask them genuinely how they’re doing. Be available to help. To listen. To offer help. Remove the stigma of asking for help. 

Please help us spread the awareness of this issue, for Lee and every one else who needs to hear this: share this page using #speakupforlee and share it broadly...you never know who is struggling quietly.

And hold your loved ones tight. Tell them you love them. Because life can change in an instant. 

We will miss her with every fiber of our hearts.

Thank you for contributing to her mission - her story will live on in all those she touched, let's honor her life by helping those who are not able to help themselves.

Love and light from her family and friends.

*****

Updates and additional info: This fundraiser was set up by Jordan Chiu (Lee's boyfriend) and the MacMillan family. The funds will be evenly distributed between:

1.     NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Health – US MHA
2.     Cybersmile for the US - Cyberbullying
3.     Jack.org - Canadian Youth Charity – MHA / Cyberbullying
4.     CAN-BIND, funded by Ontario Brain Institute researching treatment for MDD
5.     Onewaveisallittakes.com (Australian) MHA
6.     BlackDogInstitute.org (Australia)

CMHA has a separate link set up in Lee's name that has already raised $56k CAN as of June 9th. This link will live on and continue accepting contributions directly here: https://cmha.donordrive.com/campaign/SpeakUpForLee

We plan to hold back $15k USD (roughly 10%) to support independent awareness initiatives that are not covered by the existing charities, such as running social media awareness campaigns, putting on further fundraising events, and other projects as they arise, all guided by what Lee would have wanted and what will bring the most help to the most people. The funds will be withdrawn into a newly created holding account, and will be distributed directly to the groups noted above, in accordance with the MacMillan family's wishes, by August 30, 2021. This fundraiser will be continuously updated as we make the distributions so that there is full transparency and that donors can see the benefits and impacts of their gifts. Updates will also be posted on Lee's legacy Instagram account, @lifewithlee. Thank you!

*****

If you or anyone you know is thinking about harming themselves, remember, it’s ok to not be ok, it’s ok to ask for help, it’s absolutely necessary to ask for help. 

CANADA: 1-[phone redacted] or text 45645

USA: [phone redacted] or or text TALK to 741741

More resources at crisisservicescanada.ca and afsp.org

https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/get-help-now