Keegan Jeane (center) on graduation day at Benzie Central High School. Photo courtesy of Sunshine Gay.
By Stewart A. McFerran
As an outdoor leader, I’ve guided young people down whitewater rivers, up mountains and through ropes courses, and I have kept all participants safe during these risky pursuits. Now I teach swimming lessons and a “Safety Around Water” course. I also assist as a lifeguard at the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA.
But on July 26 last year, my fellow YMCA lifeguard, just 19, took his own life.
Keegan Jeane was not on duty at the Y at the time of his death, but it’s hard not to feel a twinge of responsibility.
I want everyone to know about the SafeTALK training to be held in Manistee on Jan. 12. The “safe” in SafeTALK is an acronym for Suicide Alertness For Everyone, and the training will take place this Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Manistee Friendship Society, 50 Filer St., Suite 310A.
The training is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about identifying those with suicidal thoughts, applying the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen, KeepSafe), and learning about resources in the community. Those wanting a “refresher” in learning how to listen and knowing what to do are welcome, too. RSVP by Jan. 10 to Cassandra at 231-398-0434 or Dottie at 231-398-6741.
What did I miss?
How could I fail to guard the life of a fellow lifeguard, one who had a kind disposition and a promising future?
Keegan and I shared some shifts several years ago, when he first started working at the Y pool. He told me he attended Benzie Central High School and ran cross country. I enjoyed the conversations we shared, and I learned that he had grown up in Louisiana. I did not see Keegan for some time, and when we next talked at the YMCA pool, he told me he was sidelined by a medical issue and was unable to work as a lifeguard. He intended to help at the Y pool in other capacities until he was cleared by his doctor to resume his regular duties.
At a recent Y in-service training, I spoke with fellow swimming instructor Peyton Fontenot,16, who remembered that Keegan was a runner and pole vaulter on the Benzie track-and-field team. Peyton described Keegan’s unique vaulting technique to me. Peyton recalled speaking with Keegan just days before he died, and Keegan was troubled by housing and medical issues.
Keegan Jeane’s mother gave me permission to share what she posted on Facebook last fall. Recalling an earlier encounter, she wrote that he was sobbing in her arms as she shared her coping techniques with him. “Nighttime is the hardest … He killed himself after midnight. People always say to call whenever, but the depressed never want to bother anyone too late or too early. Call 988. They are there when you can’t bring yourself to reach out to anyone else.”
Centers for Disease Control
According to a CDC report for 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. for young people ages 10-14 and 25-34 and the third leading cause of death for those 15-24. Of those surveyed the same year, 18.8% of high school students reported having seriously considered suicide. This percentage is higher among females (24.1%) and lesbian, gay, or bisexual teens (46.8%). In the same report, the CDC found that 8.9% of high school students attempted suicide in the preceding year. This percentage was highest among females (11.0%), black teens (11.8%), and lesbian, gay, or bisexual teens (23.4%).
You are not alone
Keegan’s mother also posted this Facebook message. “I am HONEST & open about my thoughts and feelings during my grief journey because others feel the same and are too scared to say it. I want them to know they are not alone. I want to know that I am not alone. I shared in my grief class that I am not angry with God. I don’t understand why Keegan Jeane had to die, but I’m not angry.”
The Red Cross manual states: “a lifeguard does not watch, he/she searches.” Lifeguards search for those who may be in trouble, those who may be about to go under. That is the reason we stand by the water, to be ready to assist. Many of us at the Y remember Keegan Jeane and wish we could have assisted that day he made such a final, fatal decision.
If you or someone you know is thinking of self-harm or suicide, call or text 988. To learn more about suicide prevention or to receive support after a suicide loss, visit the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at: https://afsp.org.
