electrical service to the Barrio de la
Cantera in Zacatecas. This inspired
the governor of the state to present
her with an award for her humanitarian
work and for her contributions
to sporting excellence.
Two years later, St. John’s foundation
worked to raise awareness and
knowledge of mental illness and
how it affects inner city youth. She
teamed up with Lou Pizzaro, one
of the stars of “Operation Repo” to
film a public service announcement
on the issue.
Several months later, partnering
with Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano
and NBA star Ron Artest,
St. John helped to bring mental illness
training and enhanced awareness
of the issue to Santa Fe
Springs. St. John and Artest also
helped to promote Napolitano’s
proposed legislation to boost efforts
to identify and treat mentally
ill school children.
Even before the twin tragedies that
struck Mia St. John’s life, she had
already dedicated her efforts to
helping those suffering from mental
illness. You can check out her
website at miastjohnfoundation.
org.
Another Devastating
Loss
Mental illness for many, especially
men, remains a hidden issue. Many
can create an effective front of apparent
stability and happiness that
hides ever-increasing feelings of
sadness and helplessness. Even the
most accomplished of individuals
can experience mental illness.
Unbeknownst to all but his ex wife,
who remained close friends with
him, and a few others, Kristoff St.
John also suffered from bipolar
disorder. Following the death of
his son, he suffered in near silence
with depression and alcoholism.
Although prescribed anti-anxiety
medication and medication for the
bipolar disorder, Kristoff St. John
increasingly turned to alcohol to
cope.
Mia explained that his own selfimage
as a man prevented him
from embracing treatments that
could have helped him to relieve
his suffering. In 2017, Kristoff
threatened suicide, leading to a 72
hour commitment to a mental
health treatment facility. Even
worse, the media took hold of the
story. His personal cry for help to
those who loved him the most became
fodder for the tabloid media.
Kristoff St. John, a proud and private
man, left the facility as quickly
as possible, fearing the effect on
his reputation from fans and a public
who lacked knowledge of the
true impact of serious mental illness.
“Kristoff didn’t know much about
it, which is why he didn’t handle
his son’s illness very well.” St.
John explained, “so he blamed
himself for his death. Of course,
we told him every day it was not
his fault. But he just couldn’t live
with it.”
On February 15, 2019, his own depression
and alcoholism overtook
him. A combination of hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy and heavy
drinking overwhelmed his system
and caused a fatal heart attack.
Fans mourned, and wondered how
a man in the prime of his life and
career could have been struck
down so suddenly.
(Connued from page 27)
(Connued on page 30)
28—iPain Living Magazine