Lincoln Legends: 13 years after her son's suicide, Kelly Waterlyn powers forward using fitness, health and wellness to work with Lincoln teens

Kelly Waterlyn is much more than your average trainer at the gym. She has dedicated her life to taking care of the youth community in Lincoln after her son Jake passed away. Jake took his own life on June 19, 2011. "We had no warning, no letter, no indicators, nothing. It was a shock," Waterlyn shares. Jake was one of three young individuals from Lincoln who lost their lives to suicide within a three-month period in 2011. Travis Whalen took his life 18 days before Jake. "I remember hearing about Travis, and I was devastated," Waterlyn says. "I didn't know their family. I knew him. I knew of him. I knew him and Jake were schoolmates. They graduated the same year." She remembers Jim and Tina Whalen reaching out immediately as the news broke. "They even came to Jake's funeral, which blew my mind that they were able to do that," Waterlyn says. About seven weeks after Jake's death, Aldo Aguilar took his own life. A candlelight vigil was held on the Lincoln High School football field in his honor. The three families connected at that event. The Waterlyns and the families of Travis Whalen and Aguilar created a unique bond through their grief and heartbreak for their children. Waterlyn felt their strength pushed through the difficult times. Waterlyn said the group wanted to do something to honor their sons, so they created MudRun4Life, a 5K muddy obstacle course to raise awareness for suicide prevention. "We knew we wanted to do something fun. We came up with the mud run because life can get muddy," Waterlyn shares. "It can get crummy. It can be hard. But if you ask for help, somebody can pull you out of the mud." She described setting up the events as hard work but worth it. They hosted the 5K event for four years. The organization took a year off then returned in a new capacity. They host a suicide prevention night with the local summer collegiate baseball team, the Lincoln Potters. The event includes the three fathers throwing the ceremonial first pitch, a moment of silence for those who have lost someone to suicide and a 50/50 raffle. Local businesses attend the event and set up pop-up tents. Waterlyn loves Lincoln because she feels the community comes together for those in need. "I️ feel like this town rallies around people. They do that. That's what this town is about," she says. "It is holding people up and picking them up when they're down. We all felt so much love from our community." Outside of MudRun4Life, Waterlyn visits the cheer and football programs at Lincoln's two high schools to discuss health and wellness with them. Waterlyn coached cheer at the youth and high school levels from 2008-16. She trains them through an intense workout then holds educational conversations and activities surrounding topics of teen suicide and bullying. She tells the kids the stories of the three boys who lost their lives. She explains the parents have become a voice for their children. "If you haven't been through something like that, you can't even comprehend that it doesn't go away. It can't ever go away because the love is always going to be there," she explains. "The shock of the situation is always going to be there." Waterlyn talks about bullying and social media to remind the young athletes that words matter and make a difference. She tells the children that high school is hard for everyone. As leaders of their campus, they need to remember this as they interact. She splits them into small groups where they must be touching at some point. Waterlyn said this is because they need to feel connected to one another. The students brainstorm how to be better leaders on campus and are in charge of keeping their small group accountable. "I just talk to them about having better character and looking for people that might need some help," she said. "They also promise that day that if they need help, they will talk to someone, text someone." Waterlyn is a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She serves as a senior service missionary where she guides a group of women on Zoom who are supporting a loved one going through addiction. She also helps with the girls youth group within her church. "I just love the energy of our youth," she shares. She said she has spent the majority of her adulthood with the youth because she knows it can take a village to raise a child and it is an honor to be a safe adult for kids who might need it. She understands the importance of a support system. "I am grateful that I had such an amazing community here that was willing to jump in to take care of us like my church family, my gym family, my neighborhood. They jumped in and gave us love and support," she says. Waterlyn also credits a lot of ability to keep going to fitness. "Moving my body saved me," she shares. "It's hard, but once I got it going, I'm like, I can do this." She says without teaching fitness classes she would have lost her mind. She returned to teaching 11 days after Jake's death. "Trust me, I was grieving beyond comprehension. I still am. But you know, I remember putting my feet on the floor the first day, and I'm like, I can't even walk. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm losing my mind, but getting to move my body is crucial," she says. "The worst thing you can do is hole yourself up and isolate yourself in the world." Waterlyn shared her biggest support is her husband, Ron. They will celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary at the end of the month. She glows of happiness and love as she talks about him. She describes their relationship as love at first sight. The night they met, both knew they were going to marry one another. "I'm really super grateful for my husband, our relationship and our really strong marriage because, you know, it's hard," she says. "There are times where you're like, 'Oh my gosh, we can't do this. We can't do this.' But somehow, we've been able to be each other's rock." Since she had a strong support system throughout her life, Waterlyn hopes to be that to the Lincoln community. "I have deep pain, but I've been able to channel it in the right direction," she shares. She said all three families involved with MudRun4Life want to take care of the community. "We don't want anyone to go through what we have," Waterlyn says. "Of course, there have still been some deaths here in Lincoln since. Our feeling is that even if one person feels differently because of the work you've done, it's worth it." Learn more about MudRun4Life at https://www.facebook.com/p/MudRun4Life-100094418936843/