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September 2024 | Volume 15 | Issue 6
Serving the Birmingham area since 1958. MOUNTAIN BROOK’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VILLAGELIVINGONLINE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
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By SARAH OWENS
M
ark Grayson made a decision on Aug. 7, 2005, that would forever change the trajectory of his daughter’s life. As a result, Marissa Grayson, a Mountain Brook resident and University of Alabama professor who previously taught at Samford University for 13 years, has made suicide prevention efforts her life’s mission. With September being National Suicide Prevention Month, Marissa sat down with Village Living 19 years after her father’s death to tell Mark’s story and discuss how it has impacted her. “My story of grief is also the story of advocacy,” Marissa said. “Pretty quickly after my dad died by suicide, I made it my mission for my life to be involved in suicide prevention, so others hopefully wouldn’t go though the same pain that I did, or at least not do it alone.” Marissa describes her father as a goofy and fun guy, a supportive dad who showed up for his kids and a man with passions, but there were times she saw signs of his struggles. “He and I had conversations where I knew
he was sad. … He was making sure I knew about certain money. It’s almost like he was trying to convince me that life would be easier if he wasn’t around,” Marissa said. “And we know that with people who are suicidal, they often feel like a burden, and my dad did.”
Inside this issue: ► Suicide among senior citizens on the rise, see page A20. ► Mountain Brook Schools support, educate students on mental health issues, see page A22.
See MENTAL HEALTH | page A18
Mountain Brook approves rezoning for luxury senior living development By SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR. Allan Worthington has met several times with the Mountain Brook City Council. On Aug. 6, the developer left a special council meeting overjoyed that they had approved his request to rezone a parcel of land from local business district to a planned unit development district. The council’s 4-1 vote clears the way for Worthington’s Dominion Partners to build a luxury senior living facility on Cahaba Road. “I'm delighted,” the Dominion CEO said after the meeting. “We didn't have a lot of opposition tonight, as we haven't really had throughout the whole process. A few people had a few issues like storm drainage or traffic, and those are reasonable concerns. I think it
See SENIOR LIVING | page A16
The new senior living facility will be the first of its kind within Mountain Brook, taking over the space that currently houses Village Dermatology on Cahaba Road. It will include assisted living, memory care and independent living units. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.