The holidays are a time of sharing. Family and friends share food, gifts, and good conversation. They also share love, laughter, and often times grief. “Supernatural” fans are not just part of a fandom: They consider themselves to be part of a family. This holiday season is difficult for many who have lost people they love and are in need of encouragement. Roger Martinez is one such fan. Roger shares his very personal story of how “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki’s openness about mental illness struggles touched his life.
I know that a lot of people wonder how a 54-year-old man became a fan of a show that is made up of mostly teen girls. Really, I know it’s crazy, but in 2005 my 15-year-old daughter came too and ask me to watch a show called “Supernatural.” I was like…I guess so. Well we started it and it was okay, and then we found out that the guys (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) were from Texas, and so were we. It was funny that one was from San Antonio, and so are we. Better yet, Jared went to high school where I taught and I was there his senior year, but I never met him. Anyway, we became fans season eight. My girl was getting ready to get married on Feb. 25, 2012, but we always made time to see the show. She would come over to make a meal and we would watch the boys. Everything was great.
She got married and we would still meet and watch it. Then two months later on May 4, 2012, she passed away. She was everything to me and I fell apart. I was a mess and did not want to live. It was wrecking my life and I was pushed to the edge. I was lost. That July, I found a video of Jared talking about his mental health. He was talking about how I was feeling, and I come from a time when we do not talk about things like that. You do not cry, you do not show weakness. You suck it up and move forward. But everything he was saying was helping me and it really felt good.
I went to my first con and was blown away by it. It was amazing getting to meet the fandom and make new friends. Even some I now think of as family. Now I have been to four of five cons, my wife enjoys that I found a way to relax and release all the pain I had in me. It is crazy, I know, but it really works sharing and talking. I have tried to tell Jared a few times, but I get too emotional. Thank you for letting me share my story with you.
Written by Colleen Bement
