On this episode of Raising Joy, Hunstable candidly shares what he has learned since Hayden’s death and what he hopes other parents can learn from his experience.
Brad Hunstable joins hosts Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., on episode 11 of the Raising Joy podcast. Hunstable’s son, Hayden, died by suicide just four days before his 13th birthday in April 2020.
Hunstable had just finished a call when his daughter, then 8, ran to him, telling him something was wrong with her big brother Hayden. The 12-year-old had been playing his favorite video game Fortnite in his bedroom while his dad worked from home.
Hunstable rushed upstairs to his son’s bedroom and found Hayden in the closet, unresponsive. He called 911 and tried unsuccessfully to revive him.
A few days later, Hunstable shared a video message on Facebook that has received more than 150 million views. He said, “COVID killed my son but not how you think.” Over the past two years, Hunstable has been on a mission to prevent the same tragedy from hitting other families. He has influenced parents around the country and across the world to have honest conversations with their children about mental health.
Hayden’s Corner was established as a nonprofit to educate parents and children about mental health issues.
Hunstable and his wife also produced the award-winning documentary Almost Thirteen to raise awareness of Hayden’s story.
On this episode of Raising Joy, Hunstable candidly shares what he has learned since Hayden’s death and what he hopes other parents can learn from his experience.
Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s JOY Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the JOY Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
New episodes of the Raising Joy podcast will be available each Tuesday. It is currently available on all major streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts and YouTube.