Shipping A Light

When people looked at Blayne Hardy Barfield, they saw saw a bright, caring person who smiled easily — a wife and mother with a loving family and rewarding career as a teacher.
But behind the good things in her life, Blayne struggled internally. In March 2015, at the age of 30, she took her own life. Grief and reflection on what happened led her family and friends to create the Blayne Hardy Barfield Foundation, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention and mental health awareness. “She could be a very private and bright young lady,” says Justin Barfield, Blayne’s husband. “The tough part about that is that she had so many resources familywise that we could have tried to move a mountain for her, but she kept it inside and dealt with it.” The Blayne Hardy Barfield Foundation recently received $1,000 as a Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass recipient. Funded through Operation Round Up, Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass is a partnership between Wire -

grass Electric Cooperative and WTVY to recognize local people and organizations working to make the region a better place for everyone. Blayne’s mother, Pam Hardy, says her daughter was always quiet, sensitive and private. Hardy says her daughter dealt with depression before she became pregnant with her and Justin’s daughter, who was 3 years old when Blayne died. Hardy says the family has seen how the foundation helps others. “I didn’t realize how many people suffered,” Hardy says. “I’ve learned about so many people that have suffered themselves or have had family members or friends, and then I’ve had people that have come up to me that maybe tell me one of their family members — their mom, their sis-ter, brother — died by suicide. I would have had no idea. They would have never told me because it is so private. With the stigma that's been attached to mental ill - ness during the years, I think people are

very private about it, but we're learning to be more open.” The Blayne Hardy Barfield Foundation raises money through events like the BHB Bash and Egg My Yard, which involves hiding prize-filled eggs in people’s yards for family Easter egg hunts. The foundation supports other organizations such as the postpartum group at Wiregrass Hope Pregnancy Center and Living Waters Counseling in Dothan. The foundation sponsored workbooks for local schools through the Love Like Lexi Project and has given to student counseling pro - grams at Auburn University, the University of Alabama and Troy University. “We also try to encourage people to talk about it and to say that it’s OK to not be OK,” says Lea Haisten, a friend of Blayne’s. “You don’t have to suffer in silence and keep it all in, but to reach out for help if you are suffering in any way with depression or mental illness and to reach out for help before it gets too late.”