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Dese'Rae L. Stage
Food Network host Melissa d'Arabian (left) stands with 2015 SAMHSA Voice Award winner, Dese'Rae L. Stage (right).
Born (1983-05-06) May 6, 1983 (age 41)
Miami, Florida
Occupation(s)Artist and activist
Years active2010-present
Known forMultimedia documentary series Live Through This
WebsiteLive Through This

Dese'Rae L. Stage is an American photographer, writer, speaker, and suicide awareness activist. She created Live Through This, a multimedia series of portraits and true stories of nearly 200 suicide attempt survivors across the United States.

Background

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Stage was born in Miami, Florida.[1] She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from East Tennessee State University,[2] and is currently studying for her MSW.

Stage survived two suicide attempts: one as a teenager, and one in 2006,[3] at the end of an abusive relationship with a partner.[2] She lost friends to suicide and witnessed the aftermath of a suicide death.[4] These experiences propelled her to begin work on Live Through This in 2010.[4]

Activism

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Stage is known mainly for her work around suicide attempt survivors, but is also outspoken about her experiences with infertility and pregnancy loss.[5]

In 2019, Congresswoman Susan Wild (PA) invited Stage to take part in a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill called "The Rippling Impact of Suicide", alongside Congresswoman Wild, former NFL player Fred Stokes, and representatives from the suicidology and psychiatry fields. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi provided opening remarks and Mike Schlossberg (PA House of Representatives) moderated the discussion.[6]

Live Through This

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Live Through This is a series of portraits and true stories of suicide attempt survivors across the United States. Stage launched the project in 2010,[7] and began interviewing attempt survivors and making portraits in 2011.[2] The inspiration for Live Through This came out of the silence surrounding the experience of suicide attempts. Stage said, "In the years after my most recent attempt in 2006, it felt like I was alone in what I'd been through. I didn't know anyone else who was open about having attempted suicide and lived; all I could find online were statistics, and a handful of anonymous stories wrapped with happy endings like neat little bows. They lacked the warmth of human idiosyncrasy. I couldn't connect."[4] Live Through This gives suicide attempt survivors a platform to talk openly about their experiences with suicidal thoughts and actions. The narratives, which are transcribed and edited for readability, are accompanied by portraits and the survivors' full names. Survivors who have shared their stories represent a broad age range (19 to 69); a variety of socioeconomic, professional, and faith backgrounds; a breadth of trauma and mental health experiences; as well as folks from Black, brown, Latinx, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities.[4] Stage has interviewed and photographed nearly 200 suicide attempt survivors across the country.[4]

Live Through This is used as a training and educational tool in crisis call centers and graduate clinical programs. Stage speaks about Live Through This at suicide prevention events and universities nationwide. Stage and Live Through This played a role in inspiring Mike Faist's development of the character of Connor Murphy for Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen.[8] Stage also centers her lived experience of suicidality in her consulting work and collaborations with researchers.[9]

In support of her work with Live Through This, Stage has appeared on Finding Hope: Battling America's Suicide Crisis, a CNN Town Hall with Anderson Cooper; CBS This Morning with Gayle King;[10] Vice News;[11] CBS Evening News[12] and more. Live Through This has received coverage from The New York Times,[3] People,[13][14][15] Upworthy,[16] Time[8] and more.

Suicide 'n' Stuff

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Stage produces and co-hosts the video podcast Suicide 'n' Stuff, with colleague Jess Stohlmann-Rainey.[17]

Personal life

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Stage lives in Philadelphia with her two children.[17][18] She experienced infertility and underwent both intrauterine insemination, IVF,[19] and a miscarriage[20] before conceiving her daughter. She experienced depression and suicidal thoughts during pregnancy.[21] Her wife, who also experienced infertility,[22] carried their son.[20]

Stage was one of the first queer people in New York to marry under the Marriage Equality Act, and one of the first to divorce.[23][24]

Awards

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Filmography

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Dese'Rae appears as the main character[29][30] in Lisa Klein's 2017 documentary, The S Word.[31] She also appears in Nate Townsend's 2020 documentary, Wake Up: Stories from the Frontlines of Suicide Prevention.[32][33]

References

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  1. ^ Semigran, Aly (2016-09-28). "Live Through This: How Dese'Rae L. Stage Gives a Voice to Suicide Attempt Survivors". Medium. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  2. ^ a b c "Collection of photos and survival stories of attempted suicides curated by Brooklyn photographer offer hope and insight". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  3. ^ a b Carey, Benedict (2014-04-13). "Suicide Prevention Sheds a Longstanding Taboo: Talking About Attempts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  4. ^ a b c d e Stage, Dese'Rae L. "Talking and sharing are key to suicide prevention". CNN. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  5. ^ "Dese'Rae L. Stage". Romper. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  6. ^ "Hill Event Highlights How Suicide Impacts Those Left Behind". Representative Susan Wild. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  7. ^ "Inside America's Suicide Crisis". O, The Oprah Magazine. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  8. ^ a b "How One Woman's Suicide Attempt Inspired This Actor's Performance in 'Dear Evan Hansen'". Time. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  9. ^ "Dese'Rae L. Stage - Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  10. ^ "'It's OK to not be OK': Suicide attempt survivors offer insight and advice". www.cbsnews.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  11. ^ "This photographer shatters the taboo of "the S-word"". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  12. ^ Strassmann, Mark (June 28, 2017). "Photographer celebrates life, and second chances". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  13. ^ "This Survivor Works to End the Stigma for Those Who Tried to Kill Themselves". People. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  14. ^ "LiveThroughThis.org: Photographs and Stories from Suicide Attempt Survivors". People. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  15. ^ "How to Recognize When a Loved One May Be Considering Suicide, and the Best Ways to Help". People. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  16. ^ Upworthy on Facebook Watch, retrieved 2020-08-11
  17. ^ a b "The lifesaving lesson suicidal people can teach a world in a pandemic". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  18. ^ Stage, Dese'Rae L. "Childbirth Was Still Traumatic, Even Though Everything Went According To Plan". Romper. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  19. ^ Stage, Dese'Rae L. "Watching Hcg, Hoping For A Yolk Sac, Hoping For A Heartbeat — The Milestones We Take For Granted". Romper. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  20. ^ a b Stage, Dese'Rae L. "I Gained A Newborn, Lost A Pregnancy, & Almost Lost My Wife... All In 2 Weeks". Romper. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  21. ^ Stage, Dese'Rae L. "When You're Pregnant, The Depression Isn't Yours Alone". Romper. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  22. ^ "These Partners Both Had Fertility Issues. Then They Both Got Pregnant". HuffPost. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  23. ^ Doll, Jen (2012-06-25). "After Gay Marriage Comes Gay Divorce". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  24. ^ Connor, Tracy. "Lesbian couple who got hitched shortly after gay marriage became legal in New York State set to become one of first gay divorces". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  25. ^ "Dese'Rae L. Stage". AAS20. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  26. ^ "Announcing the 2017 SXSW Community Service Awards Honorees". SXSW. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  27. ^ "Dese'Rae L. Stage". Inspire a Difference. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  28. ^ "Wayne Brady To Be Honored At SAMHSA Voice Awards". Look to the Stars. 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  29. ^ Word, The S. "Suicide Attempt Survivors | Loss Survivors". The S Word Movie. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  30. ^ Iwasaki, Scott. "Filmmaker starts a discussion about suicide with 'The S Word'". www.parkrecord.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  31. ^ The S Word, retrieved 2020-08-11
  32. ^ Wake Up: Stories from the Frontlines of Suicide Prevention, retrieved 2020-08-11
  33. ^ Howard, Courtney (2020-06-04). "'Wake Up: Stories From the Frontlines of Suicide Prevention': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
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