CLARENCE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Debbie Curtis is on a mission walking more than 500 miles from New York City to Clarence all in honor of her late son, Brock.
"I mean, he was a very good athlete. He was literally a world traveler. He was the person that made others feel more comfortable," Curtis said.
Brock was in college when he was diagnosed with Bipolar 1.
"It was super difficult. One of the big reasons was he was embarrassed by his own illness, and so asking for help, staying with regimen was very difficult for him, and we finally thought we had the right support, but it was just a little too late," she said.
Her son passed away when he was 24 years old in 2021. At the time Curtis didn't know where to focus her energy until she retired and started the 4TeamBrock foundation to support mental health and suicide prevention.
"There's such a big need. And, you know, we talk about, what else can we do, and whatever impact we're making, I know we've touched a few people, and if we touch one, that's awesome. And touching more is even better," she said.
To further spread that awareness — she's making the trip across the state walking about 22 miles a day seeing all kinds of sights and meeting all kinds of people while wearing her Buffalo Bills hat and a backpack.
"It's kind of the attention getter when I'm walking someone will say, 'What? Really?" she said. "A woman saw the sign on my backpack and hugged me and and broke down and said that she was a suicide survivor and and what an impact knowing that other people will support her."
Curtis' "finish line" is Sunset Park in Clarence — one of Brock's favorite places. On October 19th she's hoping you can finish the last two miles with her starting at Gunville Road.
"We have a tagline of our foundation as, 'Brocky loves you,' and that's because a lot of times people just don't hear that. People don't. There's a lot of people who need some extra help," she said.
