Brandon’s life matters. So does what happened when he asked for help.

Mental health care should account for mental illness.

Brandon Avery Macko was compassionate, funny, intelligent, and deeply caring. He loved helping others. In August 2022, at 24 years old, he began experiencing a serious mental health crisis. He wanted help. He tried to get it.

When car trouble made him late for a mental health appointment, he was turned away. His mother tried to help coordinate his care, but faced barriers because Brandon was legally an adult. Three months after his crisis began, on November 19, 2022, Brandon died by suicide.

We cannot know whether one appointment or one different decision would have saved Brandon. We do know that he was seeking help, and that the system placed obstacles in his path when he was least able to navigate them.

That is why we are working to make Brandon’s Law a reality.

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When Asking for Help Isn’t Enough

People in a psychiatric crisis may struggle to keep track of appointments, communicate what they need, make decisions, or work through complicated intake procedures. Those difficulties can be symptoms of the crisis itself.

Yet a person can still be expected to arrive on time, follow every instruction, and coordinate their own care. If they cannot, they may be treated as noncompliant when they need help most.

A missed step should not become a closed door.

Families are often told to check in, encourage treatment, and help a loved one reach out. Brandon’s family did those things. Many families do. Suicide prevention must also ask what happens after someone reaches out.

What is Brandon’s Law?

Brandon’s Law is a proposed mental health access reform initiative inspired by Brandon’s experience. We are working to build support for changes that help people get care during a psychiatric or emotional crisis, including:

• More flexible appointment and intake procedures

• Other ways to access an assessment when someone cannot navigate the usual process

• Appropriate ways for family members or trusted supporters to help coordinate care while respecting privacy

• Training that helps staff recognize how a crisis can affect someone’s ability to follow instructions or arrive on time

We are collecting signatures in support of Brandon’s Law to show lawmakers and mental health leaders that people want a system that responds when someone asks for help.

[Add Your Signature]

We Need to Talk Openly About Suicide

Suicide should not be hidden behind shame or spoken about only after another family has experienced a loss. In my work with survivors, I have met parents whose children died by suicide as young as 10. These are real people and real families, and we need to be able to speak about them honestly.

In 2022, a total of 49,476 people died by suicide in the United States, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics. Brandon was one of them. Each number represents a life far larger than the way it ended.

We need a real conversation about suicide and about what people encounter when they seek treatment: the appointments they cannot get, the doors that close, and the families trying to help.

Help Make Brandon’s Law a Reality

BAM was created in honor of Brandon and the thousands that have died by suicide. We are gathering signatures, listening to families and people who have faced barriers to care, and advocating for a mental health system that meets people in crisis with compassion and practical help.

If you believe someone asking for help should have a path to care, please add your name. If you have a story about trying to get help, we want to hear it.

[Add Your Signature] [Share Your Story] [Get Updates]

Brandon was more than his crisis and more than the circumstances of his death. He was loved. He mattered. We are speaking his name and doing this work because the next person who asks for help deserves a system ready to respond.