CHICAGO () — Kanaan Deer is sharing his grief publicly after the deaths of his mother and twin brother, hoping his family’s devastating loss can help spark a broader conversation about mental health care and the urgent need for stronger support for people in crisis.
In April, Deer lost his mother, Barbara Deer, and his twin brother, Kaleb Deer. Kanaan said Kaleb, who had recently been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, killed their mother before taking his own life.
Barbara Deer was married to the late Dennis Deer, a psychologist and former Cook County commissioner.
“I was filled with fear. I was filled with confusion, a little bit of anger. It was the day when I got a call that my brother had killed my mom and right afterward he killed himself, which is something no family should have to go through,” Kanaan Deer said.
Looking back on the tragedy, Deer described the experience as overwhelming and deeply scarring. “It was very painful. It was very traumatic,” he said.
Asked whether he realized his brother was in crisis before the deaths, Deer said the warning signs were not easy to understand in the moment. “It’s hard to say with things like this,” he said.
“He was recently diagnosed with a mental health disorder,” Deer said. “They have things called psychosis where they can’t even control what’s going on. They don’t even know what’s going on. I think it’s important for him to not be defined by his final moments.”
Even in the aftermath of such profound loss, Deer said he is determined for people to see his brother’s life beyond the tragedy of how it ended.
“He was my best friend, someone that countless nights we would think about how we could transform the community, transform the west side,” Deer said.
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Deer remembered his mother as a beloved figure in the community.
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“My mom was the most beautiful soul that you could ever meet, imagine,” he said.
“She was coined as the matriarch of the West Side… She was a mother for everyone.”
Deer and his younger sister are expanding their family’s nonprofit organization, Juneteenth Illinois, to provide additional mental health resources. He is also partnering with state Rep. La Shawn Ford on legislation and funding aimed at supporting families in crisis.
Ford praised Deer for sharing his story publicly.
“He’s the perfect vehicle to let people know they can survive. We want to make sure he’s able to continue the legacy his father, mother and brother gave,” Ford said.
Deer said he chose to speak publicly because he hopes it will help others facing difficult circumstances.
“There’s someone out there somewhere that may be going through a divorce, a heartbreak, a bad day at work, something significant enough that they’re contemplating doing something that they shouldn’t do,” he said.
“It’s my job or my mission from God that those resources are in place.”
Deer said the day after his interview would have been his late father’s birthday. He said he wants to make his father, mother and brother proud while continuing to remind people facing a crisis that they are not alone and to advocate for more mental health resources.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact 9-8-8, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text the number any time.
