Episode 794: Emma Westwood Shares About Her Gay Brother Collin Russell Who Died in 2018

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2024

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Emma Westwood (married mother of 5, nurse at Primary Children's Hospital, Latter-day Saint) joins us to talk about her gay little brother Collin Russell who died of an accidental overdose at the age of 23 in 2018. Emma talks about Collin coming out to her while a junior in high school and the difficult road he faced full of shame—which led to addictions to cope with the pain/shame—which led to his death by an accidental overdose on December 26th, 2018. Emma talks about her immensely gifted brother—full of light and hope—but how the shame/self-loathing of his sexual orientation dimmed his feelings about himself/his future. Emma talks about the decision that she and her husband Isaac made to name the Encircle Home in Heber City after Collin—now called The Collin Russell Home—and the positive role of Encircle to provide hope, connection, and a safe place for LGBTQ+ youth. And a wish that Collin has something like Encircle in his life. Emma (and her mother Laurie in an Instagram message) talk about the importance of helping our LGBTQ friends to have no shame for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and how we should view every child of Heavenly Parents created as intended, with great worth, and needed members of society. Thank you, Emma, for being on the podcast and continuing to honor the good name and memory of your brother Collin. I am so sorry he is gone. I hope your story helps LGBTQ+ youth have more hope in their future and helps the rest of us to a better job of loving and supporting. Links: Emma’s Encircle Tribute to Collin: encircletogether.org/heber/collin-russell Collin Russell Encircle Tribute Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMi1VwVHLdo Encircle: encircletogether.org/ Collin's Obituary: www.serenityfhs.com/obituaries/Collin-Russell-2/#!/Obituary Emma Westwood on Instagram: @emmathejoy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love, hosted by Richard Osler.
0:09.7	My voice is a little hoarse, but we'll just kind of plow through that because you're not here to hear me, you're here to hear my guest.
0:16.3	And I was scrolling Instagram. One of my friends, Kristen Andrus, had a really wonderful post, and somebody commented in,
0:27.8	and this is what she said, just to be seen and accepted, understood.
0:33.4	That's all my gay son wanted to be loved and accepted for who he was.
0:37.8	His shame led him down a path that eventually took his life.
0:41.0	And I read those really powerful, heartbreaking words, and I DM'd that mother.
0:48.2	Her name is Laurie Russell and asked her if she'd come on the podcast
0:53.3	and talk about her gay son that we've lost.
0:56.3	And she said, my daughter, Emma, is kind of the family spokesperson for talking about Colin Russell.
1:05.2	And so I DM'd Emma and she agreed to come on the podcast.
1:09.3	And let me just introduce Emma, Emma Westwood.
1:13.2	She's married.
1:13.9	Her husband's name is Isaac.
1:16.7	She's a nurse working on the surgical floor at Primary Children's Hospital.
1:22.1	She's a married mother of five.
1:23.7	The oldest is 10.
1:24.8	There's a couple twins in there.
1:26.9	It's recording this kind of, I think, between
1:28.8	naps and kids at school and via Zoom from her home and Draper. She's the oldest sister of Colin.
1:36.2	There's a couple other siblings, Dallin and Jenna. And Emma is who Colin came out to. his sister that I believe is eight years older.
1:47.7	Colin was born in 1995 and he died of an accidental overdose on December 26, 2018.
	...

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