Franklin Park woman honored for activism in addiction, reducing stigma in mental illness

A Franklin Park woman dedicated to stopping the stigma attached to addiction and mental illness was honored this month with the Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Service.

Sherry Jo Matt, founder of Stop the Judgement, received the award at the Cribs for Kids 2023 Women of Achievement event held March 2 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.

Matt and her husband, Tom Bott created Stop the Judgment Project after their daughter Siena died from a fentanyl overdose in 2020 at the age of 21. Siena suffered mental health issues and addiction as a young teenager.

“She wanted to live her dreams while trying to break free from the drug of mental illness and the shackles of addiction,” said Matt, when accepting her award.

Matt said mental illness and addiction often go hand-in-hand, and she wants to end the stigma attached to them.

“Failure to recognize substance-use disorder and mental health are medical issues and not behavioral issues,” she said.

Matt said her daughter was reluctant to go to treatment because of the stigma.

“Stop the Judgment Project” encourages an open dialogue about drug addiction and use and is dedicated to changing the way people think about addiction and the stigma.

Sam Ditka, who nominated Matt for the award, said Matt immediately took action following her daughter’s death, despite her pain.

Since then, Matt has succeeded helping to modernize and humanize how toxicology reports from medical offices are delivered to grieving families. Previously, there was no warning when a letter would come from the medical examiner’s office. She said the pain of getting her daughter’s report unannounced in a form letter was a devastating and “cruel process.”

Matt also is working to create an app to seek and simplify the “nightmarish process” of finding a rehabilitation facility when a person finally makes the life-saving decision to go to one. To find an open spot is an overwhelming challenge, she said.

And Matt continues to bring in the message to schools.

The Ditka Award is named for Laura Ditka, a prominent Pittsburgh prosecutor who passed away in 2018 from heart-related issues, Matt said. Ditka specialized in child and sexual assault cases. Siena had been sexually assaulted at the age of 13. Laura Ditka assisted with the case. Anthony Ditka, Sam’s husband, is Laura’s brother.

Laura Ditka’s ties for Cribs to Kids, a nationwide sleep safe initiative, stemmed from her days as a deputy district attorney prosecuting young mothers whose infants had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome because they were not properly placed in cribs, Sam Ditka said. Many of these mothers put their babies to sleep in unsafe places, such as couches or even drawers, simply because they were too poor to afford a crib.

Sam said Laura was tired of prosecuting mothers just because they couldn’t afford a crib or were uneducated about safe sleeping practices.

Laura Ditka joined Cribs for Kids to end this problem, eventually becoming a board member. Cribs for Kids created the Women of Achievement award, later renaming their highest award the “Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Justice.” Laura posthumously received this award in 2019, said Sam Ditka.

Matt is the third recipient.

Sam Ditka, of Marshall Township, said Matt’s work speaks volumes for those suffering from mental illness and addiction. Sherry’s mission was that “letting one more child die from addiction or mental health was unacceptable,” she said.

“It’s what makes her a wonderful human being,” Ditka said.

“We at Cribs for Kids are honored to recognize Sherry Jo Matt with the Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Service. Through her Stop the Judgement Project, she has used her personal pain to bring comfort and compassion to those who are suffering a loss due to mental health and substance use disorders,” said Judy Bannon, chief executive officer and founder of Cribs for Kids.

The Ditka family also has a nonprofit Laura’s Light, whose mission to initiate and support programs and organizations that protect and support victims of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence.