You can call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to reach free, live support if you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.
Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst had everything — on the outside: Pageant titles, a career as an entertainment journalist with a law degree who passed the bar twice. Inside, however, she suffered for years from persistent depression, and in 2022 she took her own life.
She left behind a manuscript, which her mother, April Simpkins, helped finish and publish. In the book, "By the Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie's Smile and Mental Illness ― Her Story in Her Own Words," Simpkins shares for the first time what she experienced in the aftermath of Cheslie’s death. When faced with such a devastating loss, how does a mother find a way to carry on?
On the next Charlotte Talks, we sit down with Simpkins to talk about her daughter’s life, legacy and the work she's doing in the mental health field.
GUEST:
April Simpkins, mother of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst. Simpkins is a mental health advocate, serving as an ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and a board member for NAMI Piedmont Tri-County, where she serves her local community.
