A mother’s unimaginable loss became the catalyst for a movement that would reach families far beyond her own. Tina Meier transformed the loss of her daughter, Megan, into a mission, and through seven years of partnership with United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL), both organizations have worked to save lives, inspire hope, and create positive change.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and as we commemorate the 20-year anniversary of Megan’s death, we reflect on Megan’s lasting legacy and Tina’s resilience as she works to honor her daughter’s memory every day through her ongoing commitment to helping others.
Megan
Tina raised Megan to be kind, caring and supportive of others, and those traits translated into how she treated her friends, teachers, and classmates at school. Unfortunately, that kindness she showed to others wasn’t always reciprocated.
Megan experienced bullying from an early age, which affected her confidence and self-esteem as she grew older.
By third grade, Megan’s struggles with self-esteem had become increasingly concerning to her family. She often stressed troubling sentiments to her mom about her emotional well-being.
“As a mom, I panicked. I didn’t know what to say. I ran into my bathroom and started crying, thinking, ‘What do I do? What do I say to her?’” said Tina. “I went and I sat with her and I said, ‘Honey, why would you say that?’ and she was like, ‘Everybody hates me, I hate myself.’”
In middle school, Tina decided to transfer Megan to a new school where she could get a fresh start. She began making more friends and getting involved in more sports and activities – life seemed to be getting better. But new challenges emerged as she began navigating social media.
Communication with what was later discovered to be a fake MySpace account led to weeks of emotional manipulation and cyberbullying.
Tragically, Megan died by suicide on October 17, 2006.
“You’re completely hollow, it just doesn’t feel real, it hurts to breathe,” said Tina. “You keep thinking you’re going to wake up from this nightmare.”
The aftermath
Megan’s death became one of the first nationally recognized cases of catfishing and cyberbullying. This national awareness helped spur stricter cyberharassment laws throughout several states.
Though devastated from losing her daughter at such a young age, Tina turned her grief into action. With support from family and friends, Tina created the Megan Meier Foundation to advocate for further change.
“I promised myself I would not let her life be in vain and would share her story to help others,” said Tina.
Launched in 2007, the Megan Meier Foundation works to end bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Through it, Tina has reached thousands as a speaker at schools, conferences, and events nationwide. The Foundation also provides school counseling programs across the St. Louis region.
Youth success as well as mental health and well-being are some of UWGSL’s core impact areas, and working with the Foundation, young people and families are receiving support, counseling, and hope.
UWGSL’s funding and support has helped the Foundation give over 1,000 youth access to counseling services since 2016.
Tina credits UWGSL’s partnership for expanding its reach and impact.
“Partnering with United Way was a lifeline,” said Tina. “It has given our Foundation the stability to grow and connect families with the services and support they need.”
Megan’s memory
Megan would be 33 years old if she were still alive today. Tina still reminisces about some of her fondest memories with her daughter and sometimes wonders what she would be like if she were still here. She believes Megan would be proud of the positive impact her mother continues to have today and that inspires Tina to keep going.
“I do think she would be proud of me, but in my moments of grief I also think she would be saying, ‘Stop crying, get up, and keep moving forward because there’s still kids and families that need help.’ She’s the driving force behind why I keep going and never give up.”
Take action now:
- Make a donation to UWGSL.
- Learn more about how UWGSL is supporting mental health throughout the St. Louis region.
- Share this story with family and friends.
