Megan Cole was in graduate school for occupational therapy, often working with patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries from suicide attempts, when her aunt died by firearm suicide in 2014.
Her death radically changed the trajectory of Cole’s life. On her first day back at school, the topic in her psychology class was suicide. That’s when Cole began to put the pieces together. Her aunt had a history of depression and suicide attempts, but those weren’t things her family talked openly about.
“No one in my family talked about mental health,” she says. “She had so many risk factors and warning signs of suicide that could have been identified. But we can't go back and know what we didn't know then.”
Cole, whose husband keeps guns securely stored in their home, began volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as the Kentucky State Director, where she learned more about the warning signs and prevention measures for suicide. She took on a national staff role in 2022 as the Manager of Chapter Engagement.
In 2024, she joined Whitney Strong, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing gun violence by promoting responsible gun ownership. As the "Save a Life Director," she develops and delivers educational programming, bleeding control trainings and in-house firearm safety interventions.