Freshman Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, on House floor, talks about life partner's recent suicide

Just a few months after being sworn in as a newly minted Member of Congress, Rep. Susan Wild, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is busy representing the Lehigh valley – the first Democrat to represent the district since 1999.

But lately, she’s been mourning the death of a man she describes as her life partner: attorney Kerry Acker – who was on Capitol Hill in January to witness Wild take her oath of office to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.

“As some are aware today marks the one-month anniversary of the death of my beloved life partner, Kerry Acker,” Wild said on the House floor, her voice cracking with emotion. “What most people don’t know is that Kerry’s death was a suicide.”

“Kerry was 63 years old. He shouldn’t have had a care in the world. He was financially secure and had a warm, loving family and dozens of friends. He loved them all. And yet incomprehensibly, he seemingly did not grasp the toll his absence would have on those who loved him,” Wild said in a floor speech following House votes late Tuesday night. “Why am I sharing this very personal story? Because we all need to recognize that mental health issues know no boundaries. I do not want anyone else to suffer, as he suffered, nor for any family to suffer as mine has over the past month.”

Wild won a special election, assuming office Nov. 27 to fill out the lame duck term of Republican Rep. Charlie Dent after he resigned. She simultaneously won election to the 116th Congress.

“This is a national emergency. In 2017, there were more than 47,000 suicides in this country and more than 1.4 million suicide attempts. Across our country, suicides rose by 30 percent between 1999 and 2018," Wild said. "Behind these numbers are grieving partners and spouses, parents and children, siblings, friends and relatives. Every community has been touched in some way by major mental health challenges. Removing the stigma cannot just be a slogan. We need to make it real through our actions. That means building a future where people truly understand that they should feel no more shame over seeking treatment for this disease than they would seeking treatment for any other disease or medical condition.”

“To anyone out there who is struggling, I am urging you to reach out," she continued. "There are people who love you and who will suffer more than you know if they lose you. Help is available 24/7, through 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK. To anyone who is concerned about someone in their lives, please pick up the phone or take that drive to go see them. Don’t wait.”

Her speech, supposed to be limited to one minute, instead lasted two minutes 30 seconds, but nobody attempted to cut her off or gavel her down -- as is customary when lawmakers spill into overtime during floor speeches. When she finished, dozens of lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stood to applaud Wild.

Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., quickly embraced Wild in a hug in the well of the floor, followed by her Pennsylvania Democratic colleague Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Rep. Katie Porter of California, and Speaker Pelosi alongside many other members there to comfort their new colleague.