Editor\u2019s note: This story contains discussion of mental health challenges and suicide. It may be difficult to read. If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline is available 24\/7 at 988.<\/b><\/p>\n
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF<\/a>) – For Mental Health Awareness Month, one Huntsville mother is turning loss into a mission to support first responders and destigmatize mental illness across North Alabama.<\/p>\n For this episode of This Month Matters, digital host Tatyana White sat down with Adina Peyton, founder and executive director of Getting Real About Mental Illness (GRAMI).<\/p>\n A mother\u2019s loss<\/p>\n Peyton founded GRAMI after her son, Brad Pugh, was shot multiple times following a suicidal standoff with police in Huntsville on November 17, 2020.<\/a> Brad had struggled with addiction and mental health challenges throughout his life.<\/p>\n \u201cI had Brad when I was very young, so we kind of raised each other,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cBrad had been in and out of recovery and in and out of trouble, so in 2020, after his wife had left with their child, he was very depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n That night, Brad went to Ted\u2019s Bar-B-Q, climbed onto the roof, and a standoff ensued.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was heartbreaking, because he had found recovery and had lost it,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cIt was at that point that I felt like I needed to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n From grief to action<\/p>\n For nine months after Brad\u2019s death, Peyton sought answers and pushed for changes in how law enforcement responds to people experiencing mental health crises.<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to fight for the truth,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cBut somewhere in there, I realized that the people that had caused his death, they might need some help, and it was such a mental shift to realize that if I could help the first responders, it would help every citizen in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n The turning point came when Peyton was sitting at a red light, looking at the place where Brad died.<\/p>\n \u201cReally, it was almost when I came to the end of it, I was giving up, I almost just gave up,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cAnd when I did, the thought came to me that wait a minute, those first responders are hurting, they\u2019re suffering, and if they get help, every time they get called out on a call, they\u2019re going to have a different mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n As the mother of the victim, Peyton said she faced an uphill battle gaining trust from the first responder community.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember the first time I met with them, and I got a question: \u2018Why should we trust you?\u2019\u201d Peyton said.<\/p>\n Peyton took a grassroots approach, meeting officers one by one.<\/p>\n \u201cI would stop every time I saw a police officer, hand them my card, hug their neck, and tell them I\u2019m Brad\u2019s mom,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cSo it really was one starfish at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n The mission of GRAMI<\/p>\n GRAMI was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on January 25, 2022. The organization has three main goals: educate the public about mental illness, provide a fund for first responders to access private mental health help without reprisal, and send first responders to crisis intervention training.<\/p>\n Peyton said this organization was important to create because first responders experience trauma on a daily basis.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what happens with go-getters is that you start pushing it down. You\u2019re like, okay, I\u2019m okay, then you do it again. You make it home, but it\u2019s sitting in your brain. It\u2019s sitting there waiting to come back,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cAnd at the most inopportune time, somebody may ask a question. You may see something on TV, or somebody may pull a weapon, and you\u2019re reverting back to a similar situation, and you make a snap decision.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brad Pugh Memorial First Responders Program<\/p>\n The Brad Pugh Memorial First Responders Program is GRAMI\u2019s signature initiative. Any first responder who has suffered a traumatic incident can seek private, confidential, licensed therapy without fear of reprisal or financial burden.<\/p>\n \u201cAny first responder can go to any fully licensed therapist of their choice. Doesn\u2019t matter. They can pay a copay or not. We will pay their copay,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cWe will pay up to $1,000 per officer to go get help. All they do is send the bill to our address, and it will be paid, no questions asked.\u201d<\/p>\n The program covers marriage counseling and is available to law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and 911 dispatchers. GRAMI has partnered with WellStone and other private mental health providers.<\/p>\n Peyton said things have changed in Huntsville since Brad\u2019s death in 2020, including the implementation of co-responder programs where mental health professionals accompany police officers to assess situations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe co-responder has been the best thing ever. That has been a major game changer,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cI\u2019m so proud that there was this integration in that way, and it did show results. It would make Brad very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n GRAMI also uses funds to send first responders to crisis intervention trainings.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why GRAMI started was because I was able to put myself in their position,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cSo it just amazes me what empathy can do for all of us. When you\u2019re in a judgment mode, try as hard as you can to just pretend like you\u2019re that person, and it might look different.\u201d<\/p>\n A message for Mental Health Awareness Month<\/p>\n Peyton wants people to understand that mental illness is not a choice and does not make someone bad.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make you bad. It makes you sick, and that most of the time it can be eradicated or completely healed,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cEach of us has a little bit of that in us.\u201d<\/p>\n Peyton said GRAMI\u2019s platform highlights that mental illness is not a crime.<\/p>\n \u201cSelf-care is one thing that you can do for mental health. The stigma is all of us accepting that we all at some point have a little bit of mental illness,\u201d Peyton said. \u201cBecause once you\u2019ve been depressed, and I think everybody suffers with that occasionally, is realizing we didn\u2019t do anything wrong. It\u2019s just like having cancer, but it doesn\u2019t make you bad. It\u2019s not you\u2019re dirty. You\u2019re just sick in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n Peyton encourages people to recognize when they might need help.<\/p>\n \u201cJust recognizing yourself, maybe that you might need to get some help, and then it\u2019ll lead to your happiness,\u201d Peyton said.<\/p>\n GRAMI is seeking board members and funding to continue its work. The organization has no paid positions and funnels all money back into the community.<\/p>\n To learn more about GRAMI and to connect and support the organization, visit the website<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> page. <\/p>\n To hear more about Adina Peyton\u2019s journey, GRAMI, and mental health awareness, the full interview can be viewed at the top of this page.<\/b><\/p>\n