When we talk about someone having a “terminal illness,” we generally mean an incurable, progressive disease that will eventually end someone’s life. Advanced cancer, end-stage heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and many other diseases are widely accepted as terminal in modern medicine. Most medical institutions don’t include mental illnesses in that category either, for understandable ethical reasons. But as actor Martin Short shares from firsthand experience, viewing treatment-resistant mental illness as “terminal” can help families process the loss of a loved one to suicide. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Short compared losing his 42-year-old daughter, Katherine, to suicide in 2026 with losing his wife, Nancy, to cancer in 2010. “You know, it’s been a nightmare for the family,” Short said when asked what he wanted to share about Katherine’s death. “But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife, are both diseases. And sometimes with diseases, they are terminal. And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t. So Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And she was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go.'” Adding nuance to the “suicide is preventable” conversation Short is speaking a hard truth that goes against the unequivocal messaging that suicide is preventable. As with so many human realities, conversations about mental health and suicide require nuance. Those who have seen a loved one through every available treatment, medication, therapy, and program, only to lose them to suicide after trying everything, play an important role in that conversation. We understand that many deaths from cancer and heart disease are preventable, but not all are. While mental illness may not be directly comparable to those diseases, the reality is that some illnesses, both physical and mental, resist even the best and most effective treatments. So glad this is going viral, someone I knew in college lost his mental health battle and his parents described it as a terminal illness at his memorial and it really opened my eyes and helped me accept mental illness. https://t.co/nTs5bJpPNn— Livyjedi (@livyjedi) May 11, 2026 As Sophia Laurenzi shared in her Time essay, “The Problem With Saying Suicide Is Preventable,” the blanket message that suicide can be prevented places an unfair burden on individuals and families. Acknowledging the complex reality of suicide prevention “Though well-intentioned, the truth is that not all suicides can be stopped, even with the best efforts,” Laurenzi wrote. “But right after my father’s death, everywhere I looked I read that suicide is preventable. This instilled an immediate, unconscious conviction in me of a double failure: my father, who had not done enough to save himself, and those of us who loved him most, who had not done enough, either. Collectively we could have deterred his death. But we did not.” This feeling of failure and guilt prompted Laurenzi to dive deeply into suicide education and advocacy. That deep dive led her to the conclusion that while suicide prevention efforts are important, so is acknowledging the complex reality that a 100% success rate on that front is not currently possible. “The crux of the issue with blanketing suicide as something that can be stopped is that it flattens one of the most confounding psychological, medical, and philosophical questions of being human into something simpler than its reality,” she wrote. “Perhaps one day we will be able to say that, with the right blueprint, suicide is preventable. But we do not have the knowledge, let alone the resources, to make that true now.” “Maybe by sharing your pain, you will help other people’s pain”: After losing his daughter, Katherine, to suicide earlier this year, Martin Short told Tracy Smith about why he isn’t hiding his grief. pic.twitter.com/SQHvnEnt5u— CBS Sunday Morning (@CBSSunday) May 12, 2026 To be clear, acknowledging that suicide isn’t always preventable is not the same as saying suicide is inevitable. Most suicides are preventable, and people should absolutely exhaust all preventative measures and possibilities. Knowing typical warning signs, having access to mental health treatment, limiting access to firearms and other highly lethal methods, and following other best practices are vital to giving someone the best chance of surviving a suicidal mental illness. Keeping hope in the balance Acknowledging that mental illness can be “terminal” also doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t have hope. Many illnesses that used to be terminal diagnoses—HIV, cholera, and more—are now totally survivable thanks to advances in medicine. Just because some people’s mental illness resists all known treatments now doesn’t mean we won’t find more effective treatments in the future. Most mental illnesses, even many serious ones, are currently treatable. To help those in crisis and considering suicide, we recommend using @intheforefront 'LEARN Saves Lives' tips. Most suicides are preventable, see more resources like this on https://t.co/q8LD9ktWKl #BeInjuryFree #NationalInjuryDayHPRC pic.twitter.com/8EnbfdStJg— Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (@HIPRC) November 18, 2020 But in some cases, for some people, having all the access in the world to resources, support, and treatment may not be enough. Just as doctors can exhaust all treatments for physical illnesses, people can also exhaust all treatments for mental illnesses. That doesn’t mean anyone should ever give up hope or stop trying. It means that families and friends who did everything they could, and who knew their loved one fought as long and hard as they were able to, can find peace in understanding that their loved one who died by suicide was dealing with a terminal, treatment-resistant illness that ultimately took their life. Short shared that he’s gotten involved with Bring Change to Mind, an organization started by actress Glenn Close, which he said is “taking mental health out of the shadows.” “Not being ashamed of it, not hiding from the word ‘suicide,’ but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” said Short. “That’s my approach to this.” Watch Short’s full interview: The post After daughter’s death, Martin Short says he understands mental illness can be ‘terminal’ appeared first on Upworthy.

Being on a plane can be a nuisance on its own, but when there is an unruly passenger, it goes from an annoyance to a potential danger. On a Jet2 flight, a passenger was so belligerently drunk and rude to the staff that the plane was going to be diverted. Then hope arrived in the form of an eight-year-old soccer fan. Phoenix Rose and his father were cutting their vacation in Turkey short. They had to catch a flight home to Manchester due to a family emergency. During the flight, a passenger had too much to drink before boarding. She even had her open bottle of whiskey confiscated. This caused the irate passenger to disrupt the flight, shouting and swearing at the flight attendants. The passenger became so unruly that the flight attendants made an announcement: The flight would be diverted to remove her from the plane. And a child would lead them Phoenix was desperate to get home to deal with his family emergency. He didn’t want the flight to be diverted and cause a delay. On a whim, he asked a flight attendant if he could sit next to the angry passenger. He asked for only 30 seconds. The flight attendants gave Phoenix a chance. They switched his seat to one next to the unruly passenger. And it worked. “He just took all the control,” James, Phoenix’s father, told BelfastLive. “Phoenix, he got his cards out, he started singing to her this Dance Monkey song.” “She’s screaming, she’s shouting, she’s still being irate. And he starts singing to her, he starts talking about his football to her, talking about her family, asking her about her kids,” James told BBC News. “I’m sort of sat there in the end and I’m thinking to myself, thank god that Phoenix is with me because if he wasn’t, I don’t think I would have been able to handle it.” View this post on Instagram The young master of de-escalation Knowingly or instinctively, Phoenix practiced effective de-escalation techniques while talking to the passenger. This included finding common ground, listening to her talk about her family, and using several other strategies. Phoenix even calmly reminded her of the consequences. He told the passenger that she could be arrested if she couldn’t calm down, but quickly encouraged her to talk about her kids. For three and a half hours, Phoenix chatted with the passenger. They discussed his love of soccer, his YouTube channel, and their families. Phoenix also showed her his trading cards of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. An eight-year-old accomplished what a plane full of adults struggled to do. After the plane landed at its destination, the pilot and flight attendants thanked Phoenix for preventing a forced flight diversion. That would have been costly for both the airline and the passengers in terms of time and money. The passenger was taken into custody by authorities. A spokesperson for Jet2 thanked Phoenix and rewarded him and his dad with free flight vouchers. A little bit of kindness and the wisdom of a young kid were all it took to ease an intense and volatile situation. The post 8-year-old prevents flight from being diverted by soothing unruly passenger with ‘Dance Monkey’ song appeared first on Upworthy.

Prom season is officially here, and the teens receiving care at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital dressed to the nines for the 2026 St. Jude Teen Formal. On May 1, more than 60 teen patients took part in a night of dancing, limo rides, and more at the Domino’s Event Center on the hospital’s campus in Memphis, Tennessee. The night had a special theme: On Cloud 9. It was inspired by the hospital’s partner, country singer Megan Moroney, who recently released a new album titled Cloud 9. “It gives us all a hope to just be normal and to just have an amazing time,” attendee and St. Jude patient Presli told Upworthy. St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students. Patients get glammed up Presli was one of many young women who had the opportunity to have their hair and makeup done for the event thanks to St. Jude volunteers. Attendees were also provided with wardrobes for the evening. “It’s just overwhelming seeing her coming out of that limo and walking that red carpet,” Presli’s mom told Upworthy. “She had so much confidence.” St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students. Guests invited by patients also got the star treatment. Moroney surprised attendees as they got ready with a special video dedicated to them, honoring their bravery and encouraging them to live it up. No prom experience would be complete without a limo ride, and attendees got to roll up to the event in style. Once they arrived, a red carpet welcomed them alongside cheering volunteers. St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students. Rolling out the red carpet The teens each had their time to shine as they strolled down the red carpet. It was also a moment that reminded attendee Dalton not to lose hope during his health battle. “No matter what you’re going through there’s always a way for you to push through,” Dalton told Upworthy. St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students. For the teens’ families, the annual event is also a reminder of normalcy. “To me, it represents hope,” Dalton’s mom told Upworthy. “It’s something that we can look forward to and know that each year they can forget about all their worries. They can just be children.” St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students. Inside the venue, they stepped into a “Cloud 9” dream. Cloud-themed decor covered the entire space, complete with cotton-trimmed porticos and metallic streamers. Guests first enjoyed a sit-down dinner. @popculturememphis On Cloud 9 at @St. Jude teen prom! #popculturememphis #stjude #memphis #prom #balloons ♬ drop dead – Olivia Rodrigo Afterwards, it was time to bust a move under a cloud-covered dance floor. Hits spun from the DJ, and the teens danced all night. The event’s coordinator, Kenny, shared some behind-the-scenes looks at the event on TikTok: @mybrainbow St. Jude Teen Formal 2026 was a success #prom #oncloud9 #gifting #swagbag ♬ Venus and Flower – Austin Farwell She explained that each attendee also got to visit a gifting suite, where they could personalize a bird keychain with their name. Once finished, they could take the keychain over to a wall where they were able to hang it on a dove that lifted it to the “sky” before returning with a swag bag full of goodies. “I wanted to make the whole night a really memorable experience for our teens,” she shared in the video. “And I think they all loved it!” The post Teen patients at St. Jude celebrate special prom night with glam squads and a red carpet appeared first on Upworthy.

British singer-songwriter Dylan Holloway, who performs as Dylan and the Moon, has been wowing audiences with his voice for quite some time. But what makes Holloway especially unique is that he also charmed crowds before identifying as male. While Holloway had long wrestled with his gender identity, he transitioned from female to male during the COVID-19 pandemic. While some might say they never look back, Holloway chooses to look back with love and gratitude for his former self. In a recent clip posted to Holloway’s Instagram page, he shows his followers a split screen. On the left is Dylan presenting as female, with blonde curls and soprano notes. That side is labeled “2018.” On the right is modern-day Dylan, now presenting as male, shirtless and tattooed, marked “2026.” To the song “Kiss Me,” he harmonizes with his former self, and it’s absolutely pitch-perfect. View this post on Instagram “A duet with my past self” At the top of the clip, he writes, “Singing with my past self…trans duet.” Holloway adds in the comments: “A duet with my past self. I make these videos because it brings me joy to embrace my entire journey & it helps me spread love to others who may wish to do the same… I’m proud of who I am & the unique art I can make because of it … whoever you are, whatever your journey, you are wonderful & deserve love for your whole self too.” Fans in the comment section were equally loving and seemingly in awe: “You were and are a beautiful person, with a lot of charisma, musically and a beautiful voice. In both interpretations. Gifted! I’m impressed.” “I see a talented musician who is proud of his story and who loves himself, as he should.” Sixpence None the Richer As for the song? The year was 1998. The band Sixpence None the Richer had taken American radio stations by storm with their sweet, melodic single “Kiss Me” from their self-titled album, released a year earlier. Its lyrics are pretty straightforward, though some could call them a tad bossy. The singer would like a gentleman to kiss her “behind the bearded barley. Nightly, behind the green, green grass. Swing, swing. Swing the spinning step. You’ll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.” Holloway nails every note. @dylanandthemoon The X Factor (lol) 11 years & 1 transition later #xfactor #transition #transgender #transman before and after ♬ original sound – DylanAndTheMoon Obvious X Factor Back in 2012, Holloway became a sensation while competing on Britain’s The X Factor, where he ended up as a finalist in a band called MK1. More recently, he compiled clips from the show featuring his former self singing beautifully then and just as purely now as a man. In an interview with DIVA Magazine, Holloway described his time on the show: “MK1 ended up at the finals on national television, which was such a turning point in my life. Until then I had just been a little androgynous kid from Newquay with a secret inside me, and now I was a rapper in an urban band on telly. But everyone knew me as someone I wasn’t, and I felt like a caricature of myself. Eventually, after a few years, these feelings bubbled to the surface and I couldn’t continue to be this person everyone thought I was, so I drifted and started releasing my own music under the name Lots Holloway.” View this post on Instagram Compassion and love When asked what it’s like singing with his former self, Holloway seemed to feel at peace: “It’s actually such a wonderful experience to look at them now. I think a lot of transgender people find there’s a pressure, whether they put that on themselves or it is external pressure, to eliminate the person you once were when you become someone new. Now I’m the person I am today, I look back at old footage of myself with this new compassion and love. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for that brave, resilient, and bold soul that was brave enough to come out.” Alongside his career as a musician, Holloway also speaks professionally about mental health advocacy and LGBTQ rights. On the Raise the Bar website, where he is listed as one of its motivational speakers, the organization shares the importance of these side-by-side videos: “In posting these videos, he spreads the message that it is okay to accept your old self, as it is all part of the journey that makes you who you are now.” Upworthy spoke with Holloway, who shared how he feels about transitioning and music in general. “For awhile, I thought I had to leave that version of myself behind. But over time, I realised there was something really beautiful about letting both versions of me exist together,” he said. “So instead of erasing my past, I started creating duets with old vocal recordings and videos I had. Almost like having a conversation across time with younger me. So healing. How many people ever have that opportunity? I want other people to know it’s okay to embrace who you are – the whole story.” He says his favorite duet so far is “Yellow” by Coldplay. “This song came out when I was growing up and confused about myself,” he said. “I recorded it on a rooftop in 2018. Then went back to the same place in 2026 to film again, totally free and transitioned. And the merging of those two people together, to me, is beautiful. I love how the lyrics mean something totally different in this context. ‘Your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. I swam across. I jumped across for you. You know I love you so.’ All of it.” He added, “My dream is that Coldplay will see it and see how much their song helped heal me. And one day, we will play it together with the old version of me projected behind us to sing it too. In a huge stadium, of course. I want to spread the message of acceptance and love as far as we can.” “Traditional songwriting” is where he draws most of his influence: “People who tell stories. People who write to move others. Dolly Parton, David Bowie, Coldplay, Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman. Iconic.” He plans to keep telling those stories. “I’m a totally independent artist, and this year, I’m creating an album in public and allowing my fans to make decisions along the way,” he said. “I make one bit of content a day and release one song a month. Eventually, it will all come together into an album. And my fans will know they helped bring it to life. So everyone is welcome to come and get involved!” Holloway is also releasing a documentary later this year that shares more of his story. “It shows an up close and personal journey of my transition from the lens of being a singer who risked losing their voice,” he said. The post A trans man beautifully harmonizes to the song ‘Kiss Me’ alongside a 2018 clip of himself appeared first on Upworthy.

When Chuck Norris died, it seemed impossible. He was a 6-time World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion whose final social media post showed him looking as fit as ever. He died just 10 days after his 86th birthday, much to the shock and sadness of fans and loved ones. Chuck Norris was a legend and the best sport on the planet. Jokes about Chuck made the rounds for years, and there wasn’t anyone who loved them more than the legend himself. Judson Mills, who starred alongside Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger, for years, told TMZ that Chuck was just as kind and loving as he appeared: “He was super along for the ride.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Judson Mills (@judsonmills) Chuck Norris Loved the Jokes Judson said Chuck was a big fan of a good “Chuck Norris Joke.” He said he often laughed and encouraged the funny moments. Judson said Chuck’s death came as a shock, and he will miss his friend tremendously. “I will miss him … I will miss the camaraderie we had on that show … I’ll miss his mentorship and his kindness,” Judson said. He added that while he knows that everyone’s time eventually comes, he didn’t expect to say goodbye to Chuck so soon. “It’s one thing when you’re preparing for something like this, but he was such a beast and in great shape.” Judson Mills shared a sweet dedication to Chuck Norris on Instagram following his death. “Chuck was one of those rare individuals who was truly the icon he was made out to be — quiet, humble, kind, wise, and gentle. A giant among men who somehow always made you feel completely at ease, like he was just one of the gang. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. An American hero,” he wrote. Chuck Norris was one of the good ones. They’ll never be another one like him. This story’s featured image is by CBS via Getty Images