ESTILL CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Everything changed for Christina Smith on August 21, 2023. Her 20-year-old son, Nathaniel Gage Cutler, ended his own life.
“The pain that I feel from losing that child is unbearable,” Smith said. “It’s excruciating, and it’s not something that I would wish on anyone. One of the last things he wrote was, ‘I want to help people. Who have I helped?’”
After reading this note, Smith said, “That kind of lit a fire in me, that he was clueless as to how many people he touched.”
In the months since, Smith used that fire to plan the Story Unfinished event to keep Cutler’s story alive.
“His story is not over,” said Smith. “Even though he has gone on, his story is not finished.”
The Story Unfinished event first started as a plan to walk around the Estill County courthouse. However, the community responded with extra interest, and the event grew into something more.
Smith shared, “people were so willing to donate their time and their resources that that little walk that I just wanted a few people to see and maybe reach a few people, it just exploded.”
Now, the Story Unfinished will take place at the Estill County Fairgrounds. Through this event, Smith plans to fulfill Cutler’s wish of helping people. Smith feels Cutler’s story can help people dealing with mental health sufferings to open up and share. She also hopes it will educate friends and family to look for red flags while offering support to those impacted by suicide.
The Story Unfinished event has the ultimate goal to save lives. Smith has already seen how Cutler’s story has helped save a few lives.
“After Gage passed, I had tendencies that I wanted to die too, because the pain was so unreal,” Smith shared. “I’ve used the 988 hotline. And when someone passes, you are left with just this isolation. And you just feel so alone.”
Ultimately, the community support to keep writing Cutler’s story made the difference for Smith.
“To see people step forward, and to find out how many people are actually touched by this issue, it made me know that I was cared for. I was loved. Even my son, that they maybe didn’t even know, they loved him. It absolutely has carried me through the last seven months.”
The next chapter continues with the Story Unfinished in a few short weeks.
“Ultimately, I just want to save lives,” Smith said. “Like I said, I don’t want anybody to feel this.”
The Story Unfinished will take place at the Estill County Fairgrounds on August 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The time of play, positivity, and empowerment will include prizes, inflatables, and food trucks.
There will also be story beads and a butterfly release as people impacted by mental health and suicide will be able to share and remember.
For more information, you can reach out to Smith at (606) 481-6627.
