Teen upstanders: What you can do to help a struggling friend deal with anxiety, depression

Cicela Hernandez felt the stab of every cruel word.
Harsh comments about the way she dressed or the hair on her legs, which was longer than many of the boys’ in her class.
There were girls who, with intention, made her feel like she wasn’t good enough, pretty enough. Like her family didn’t have enough money to fit in.

She felt ashamed. Humiliated.
So Hernandez turned the tables. She became the bully.

She picked out classmates who were smaller than her, going into the girls restroom and pushing them around. She believed that others couldn’t — wouldn’t — hurt her anymore if they were afraid of her.
But, at home, Hernandez was a victim of sexual abuse in the house she and her mom shared with another family. She was the one who felt scared.

She needed an ally, a friend. Someone to speak up for her when she did not feel safe enough to do it for herself.

And, in truth, she wasn’t alone. more

Former teammates paint disturbing picture of Aaron Hernandez in Patriots locker room

Hernandez a headache for Brady

It didn’t even matter if Hernandez caused problems for Brady.

Lloyd told The Globe about an incident involving New England’s five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

“(Hernandez) was out at the walkthrough in flip-flops trying to run around,” Lloyd said. “He was laughing. He was loud. And Tom keeps it serious in the walkthrough. And Tom says, ‘Shut the f— up. Get the f— out of here.”

Hernandez did not respond well to Brady’s demands.

“It was like he went from this child-like, laughing, disruptive behavior and he storms off in a fit of rage,” Lloyd said.

Mood swings

Lloyd painted a picture of an erratic Hernandez who would shift gears from macho and angry to sensitive and insecure.

“There would be swings where he’d be the most hyper-masculine, aggressive individual in the room, where he’d be ready to fight somebody in fits of rage,” Lloyd said. “Or he’d be the most sensitive person in the room, talking about cuddling with his mother. Or he’d ask me, ‘Do you think I’m good enough to play?’”

The Globe noted that Hernandez suffered multiple brain injuries and went on to play the week after a concussion, his second documented brain injury. more

Mental health event brings stories of help, hope

STOCKTON — Marsha Posner Williams is a successful television producer, winner of two Emmy and three Golden Globe awards for “The Golden Girls.”

Yael Deynes, who survived a suicide attempt, physical and mental abuse by his biological mother in his native Puerto Rico and controlling, mental abuse at the hands of his former gay lover, has made an award-winning short film and is seeking funding for his first feature-length motion picture.

The two will share their stories of success and offer encouragement Friday when they speak on “Curing The Stigma” from 1:30-3 p.m. in the Tillie Lewis Theatre as San Joaquin Delta College concludes its observance of Mental Health Awareness Week. more