BALDWIN: The death of any child is a tragedy but the death of a Kennedy child becomes a very public one. 22-year-old Saoirse Kennedy Hill died at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Authorities have not announced a cause of death but this is what we do know. Saoirse struggled with depression. In fact, in February 2016 she wrote all about it in her high school newspaper. And I just want to take a moment with everyone listening to just read part of this for you, quoting her. My depression took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life. Although I was mostly a happy child, I suffered bouts of deep sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest. Those bouts would come and go but they did not outwardly affect me until I was a new sophomore at Deerfield -- this is her school. I began isolating myself in a room pulling away from my relationships and giving up on schoolwork. During the last few weeks of my spring term, my sadness surrounded me constantly. But that summer after my sophomore year, my friend depression rarely came around anymore and I was thankful for her absence. Two weeks before my junior year, however, my friend came back and planned to stay. My sense of wellbeing was totally compromised and I totally lost it after someone I knew and loved broke serious sexual boundaries with me. I did the worst thing a victim can do and I pretended it hadn't happened. This all became too much and I attempted to take my own life. I returned to school for the fall of my junior year but I realized that I could not handle the stresses Deerfield presented. I went to treatment for my depression and returned to the valley for my senior year. Then she went on to say this. Many people are suffering but because many people feel uncomfortable talking about it, nobody is aware of the sufferers. This leaves people feeling even more alone. We are all either struggling or know someone who is battling an illness. Let's come together to make or community more inclusive and comfortable.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill Shared Struggles in Deeply Personal Op-Ed