Mia St. John picked up the gloves at an age when most boxers would prefer to start thinking about retirement. In her sixteen-year career, she climbed the heights of the sport. However, personally, the model and taekwondo black belt suffered heartbreaking setbacks. But the tragedies only made her firmer, and she decided to help others who were going through or had gone through similar ordeals. Now a well-known suicide prevention advocate, she spoke on one of the most potent methods to handle situations when a person develops suicidal tendencies.

In a detailed discussion with News Nation, St. John described how her life turned upside down when she received the news of her 25-year-old son’s death. The eldest child of the former champion and actor Kristoff St. John, Julian Cristoff, suffering from mental illness and addiction, committed suicide on November 23, 2014. Later, she narrated how the mental healthcare facility where her son was admitted failed in its duty to take care of him properly.

Resilience in adversity

News Nation host Natasha Zouves highlighted how Mia St. John’s efforts resulted in the California Mental Health Facilities doing away with plastic bags to avert cases of suicide and how she founded the Mia St. John Foundation to help people deal with mental illnesses and other issues such as homelessness and de-addiction. So she asked, “...I know that you said that your son is cheering you on. Can you tell me more about that?”

St. John said, “Oh, yeah. I mean, there were so many times when I felt like I did not want to go on. I just couldn’t go on. Just that. Just what happened to him. I felt like I knew my sole purpose must be helping others like my son. And like you said about, we finally, after like 8 years, got plastic bags banned from all suicide units. And I started programs for the mentally ill who are homeless and who are drug addicts, and it’s these kids now give me purpose. They give me a reason to wake up in the morning.”

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Natasha Zouves then spoke about the next tragedy that struck the St. John family when her former husband, Kristoff St. John, passed away in 2019. There were times and moments when the former world champion felt she couldn’t carry on further. Hence, Zouves asked St. John for a message she could share with everyone to keep going. The latter replied that her daughter keeps her motivated and persistent besides the youngsters she supports.

Mia St. John: Discovering hope

However, she insisted that everyone have a physician to reach out to. She said, “…have a doctor that you can trust. My psychiatrist is. The only one that I can trust to call when I’m feeling suicidal or like I can’t go on. He is the one that I trust, and I am so fortunate. But I have such a great doctor because they are hard to find. I know that I know the mental health system. So it’s very Difficult, difficult. But if just don’t give up and keep searching and talking to someone, it may not be a doctor….”

Mia St. John knocked out nineteen opponents during the two decades she boxed. But when life knocked her down, she took it on the chin, fought back to stand, and cared for others who found getting up challenging. Tomorrow, National Suicide Prevention Week concludes; St. John’s advisory should reach out to others and encourage those seeking that last bit of help to return.

Years After Losing Son to Suicide and Ex-Husband to Alcoholism, Boxing Icon Mia St. John Names the Only Thing That Saved Her Life While Struggling With Sobriety and Mental Health 

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