Carrie Fisher, best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in "Star Wars," died on December 27th, at the age of 60. She died at 8:55 a.m. after having a heart attack on an airplane. This event made for a heartbreaking end to the year 2016. Carrie Fisher was the daughter of famed actress Debbie Reynolds (who unfortunately passed away the very next day) and was best known for her artistic career as an actress, screenwriter, and author. Carrie Fisher had many fans, most of whom are struggling to find the proper words or actions to commemorate her life and celebrate her death. "Star Wars" fans worldwide are at a loss of words. We have lost our Princess... So what can we do to respect Carrie Fisher moving forward into 2017? What can we, as a society, do to honor her legacy?
It has been roughly a week since Fisher's death, and we have officially started a new year. 2017. With the new year comes new responsibilities, new opportunities, and new resolutions to better ourselves as people. This year, my resolution for our society is to normalize mental illness, and to remember Carrie Fisher's advocacy while we do so.
Carrie Fisher was so much more than just her most famous role, Princess Leia. She was a profoundly outspoken woman, and a strong mental health advocate. Ms. Fisher openly battled bipolar disorder, and was not afraid to talk about her condition. In fact, she took pride in talking about bipolar disorder. Carrie fisher made it one of her goals to educate the public on the disease. She spoke about her battle with bipolar disorder in interviews, books, on social media, and at other public speaking events. Fisher never played the victim, but instead worked relentlessly to tell the story of a woman who struggled mightily, but ultimately survived and endured. She used humor and brutal honesty to tell her real-life story as a person with mental illness. She was a true pioneer in mental health advocacy.
Moving forward into 2017, let's work to end the stigma towards those with mental illnesses. Let's acknowledge the seriousness of bipolar disorder, and encourage those suffering from this chemical imbalance to seek help. Let's treat mental illness the same as physical illness, and assure people that treatments such as medication, ECT, and visits to the psychiatric hospital are normal and nothing to be ashamed of. End the stigma in 2017. And if you are skeptical of the cause yourself, at least advocate in honor of Carrie Fisher.
RIP Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. I send my greatest condolences to Billie Lourd, who lost both her mother, and her grandmother, within a day of each other.
Rest in glory Carrie, hopefully you are kicking some fascist ass in your after life!
