Jonah's Mission: Never Walk Alone
Last Tuesday, a man by the name of Jeremy Thode visited Harborfields Highschool. He had walked there. It was 30 degrees outside. Furthermore, he had walked from Walt Whitman Highschool, over 6 miles away. Even more impressive, he had done it in under 2 hours, and for Mr. Thode, this was nothing but a small portion of a much larger plan.
This whole affair started because of Mr. Thodes son, Noah, a 17 year old transgender boy. Thode adores Noah, writing in an Instagram post, “words cannot truly explain the pride, love and honor I have for you as my son. I am not sure I can name someone I respect more.” and later stating, “I am a better human because of you.” However, after watching Noah struggle severely with his mental health, Thode realized how little outreach programs there were in schools, and how easy it was for kids to slip away and feel alone.
This realization was what inspired his project, Jonah's mission, for his son and for the countless other children struggling with their mental health. Thodes message was simply, “You will not walk alone” and he meant this literally. In his mission statement he writes, “as a recognition of every child in the community, I am excited to announce that I plan to walk to every Suffolk County Section XI high school during Thanksgiving week.” This walk totals to over 300 miles, but Thode was determined to make a statement, and on November 21st he began his journey.
It was not an easy one, and although Thode did much of it alone, he can be seen continually asking for help when needed. He wrote under one Instagram post, “I’m not going to lie. I am struggling to get to Smithtown East. 4.5 miles to go and I’m emotionally broke and need help in some way.”
Oftentimes he related these calls back to mental health, saying that physical or not, when you’re struggling the support he received shows that the best thing you can do is ask for help. He posted with many of the people that came to walk with him, stating again and again that no matter how you feel, you never have to walk alone.
When Mr.Thode made it to Harborfields, he spoke to a select group of the student body. Before he came out, many shared their excitement. The president of GSA, Kayla Hibbert, shared, “I think this is going to be a really eye-opening experience for everyone, LGBTQ+ students especially. I’m excited to hear what he has to say.”
Freshman Clara Upston stated, “I’m really looking forward to hearing him speak. I think what he's doing is so important, and so good for the community.” Fellow freshman Mckena Sun added, “I just think his message is something a lot of people need to hear, especially right now. The pandemic took a toll on a lot of people's mental health, and it's very easy to feel shut off. I know a lot of people that really need Mr. Thodes message, I’m grateful he's doing what he's doing.”
When he walked on to the south gym floor, Mr. Thode was greeted with a roar of applause. He spoke passionately about his mission, and the challenges he was facing as well as the rewards he was seeing, which he said made it all worth it. He even teared up speaking about his son. His speech was incredibly moving, and immediately after he left again (he had to make it to Northport, 2.5 miles away, within the hour).
Overall, getting to witness Mr. Thodes perseverance, passion and dedication was an experience inspiring to many. The whole student body appreciated getting to watch him continue and finish his journey, and knowing that they were a part of it.
