The mother of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst will fulfill her daughter's final wish more than two years after her death. April Simpkins fulfilled her daughter's final wish by publishing her memoir.
Three people died by suicide after they jumped from their Manhattan apartment.
Kryst was a correspondent for Extra where she had dreams of becoming a published author. April Simpkins' book, By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie's Smile and Mental Illness, will be released on April 23. April said that publishing the book was one of her daughter's final wishes. She was happy and smiling, but she still felt a lot of pain. The book is between what people saw in her smile and her battle with depression.
In a video shared with Extra before her death, she said she had finished writing the book. "My words that I wrote."
After winning the Miss USA title in Reno, Nevada, in December of the same year, Cheslie took a year off from her job as a lawyer to represent the United States at the Miss Universe competition. Kryst was an inspiration to models who wanted to challenge the status quo. In the aftermath of her suicide, the essay was re-circulating on the web. The day after her daughter took her own life, April picks up the story from her perspective. The book's description states that it will give insight into a reality that impacts thousands of families every year, as well as provide hope for those who are left behind.
SUICIDE is the 10th leading cause of death in the US according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the report, there were more suicides in the US than homicides. The You're Not Alone campaign was launched by The-Sun.com to raise awareness about suicide. Readers are urged to talk to family, friends and health professionals about their mental health issues. There are many free and confidential programs in the US that help people with their mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, these organizations are there to provide support.
The Crisis Text Line can be reached at www.crisistextline.org.
The veteranscrisisline.net has a veterans crisis hotline.
Thetrevorproject.org is a project.