MADISON, Wis. – Those close to Josh Smith describe him as passionate, may it be about weight-lifting, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Persian cats, but especially when it comes to caring for others.
“He was a brilliant guy,” Kai Shiu said. “He was confident. He was smart.”
Shiu, a veterinary oncology specialist, helped recruit Smith, who grew up on a farm in Canada, to the Madison area about five years ago to work with him at VCA Veterinary Emergency Service & Veterinary Specialty Center.
“He was not only brilliant, but he was fun,” Shiu said.
Smith specialized in caring for the sickest of patients, and sometimes took them home, too.
“He was one to adopt, you know, dogs and cats that maybe were relinquished at a clinic or had terminal conditions,” Shiu said.
Smith cared deeply about people, as well, surprising Shiu and his wife with a homemade toy chest for the couple’s firstborn on the first Christmas he was invited for a celebration.
“We were flabbergasted,” he said. “His coworkers knew it was something he had been working on for months.”
Veterinarians can easily put others before themselves, Shiu said.
“Perhaps that was his downfall, he never said no to things,” Shiu said. “He always helped, whether it be family, friends, patients, coworkers.”
‘No one would’ve ever thought he’d do this’
Smith died by suicide last week.
“It is something that can affect all of us, and Josh even talked about it,” Shiu said. “He said, ‘Oh, it’s completely selfish. Never do that.’”
The veterinary world is small. Shiu knows of one more veterinarian in the U.S. and one in Belgium who both died by suicide last week as well. He spoke to News 3 Now about high suicide rates among veterinarians just last month.
A CDC report shows male veterinarians are twice as likely as the general population to die by suicide – female vets, three and a half times as likely.
“Those are tough statistics to digest,” said Sam Morello, an associate professor of large animal surgery at the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary School of Medicine. “Burnout has been very high in the vet industry for quite a while.”
Smith had just become an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Morello calls his death a huge loss for faculty, students and our entire community.
She said while her community does a good job in general of checking in on one another, this is another reminder to keep it up. She also stressed the importance of acknowledging the reasons for the stress veterinarians face, may it be in or out of the workplace, and working to reduce or eliminate them.
“You can’t fix something at the very end. You’ve got to get there way before,” Morello said. “Josh was an incredibly brilliant veterinarian. It’s exactly the type of thing he would do. He would find a better way to solve a difficult problem and that’s the best way we can remember him.”
Debt, high-stress work conditions take toll on mental health
“Veterinarians, after graduation, they’re often burdened with a major risk factor for suicide: 6-figure debt,” Shiu said. “They have as much debt as any human medical doctor, and their incomes are vastly different. We as a profession have to address that, help prepare our future veterinarians with better financial training.”
In a profession where compassion fatigue is high, workplace climate makes a difference, too. Shiu said his own employer has provided mental health resources such as mindfulness training.
He added it’s important to remember this can happen to anyone.
“It’s not all about being a big tough guy. Josh was a big tough guy, and we’re left asking, ‘What if?’” Shiu said. “It’s OK to say no. It’s OK to take time to yourself. You should in order to be a better veterinarian, doctor, teacher, and if we can’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of other people?”
‘Just one less, not one more’: Sharing Smith’s story
Shiu carries the memory of Smith with him as not just a coworker and friend, but a family member.
“I set him up on a date with my sister-in-law, and they hit it off, and they were engaged to get married,” he said, adding that their wedding had been postponed by COVID, but was to take place in May. Smith would also have become a step-father.
Shiu has helped set up a GoFundMe page to support Smith’s fiancé, Laura. He said it’s important for his family to not only let the world know the kind of person Smith was, but to spread awareness that suicide can impact anyone, especially during the tough times that come with the pandemic.
“If there was one person that would maybe just have a discussion with someone or maybe think about reaching out for help or maybe just take a little bit better care for themselves, perhaps some good will come in the form of just one less, not one more,” Shiu said.
The movement Not One More Vet offers an online support network for veterinarians struggling with mental health. It also helps fund resources such as therapy for veterinarians who don’t have access to affordable medical care. More information can be found here.
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