#RIP, D.J. Jaffe

New York and the nation just lost one of their biggest advocates for the seriously mentally ill: DJ Jaffe.

Jaffe, 65, died Sunday after a 15-year battle with leukemia. Yet many who worked with him as executive director of the Mental Illness Policy Org had no idea of his illness, as he never faltered in his advocacy.

Thank his deep compassion for the mentally ill, one shown also in his personal life: He and his wife started caring for her schizophrenic sister decades ago.

His passion and hard work brought big gains for others. He helped lead the campaign to pass Kendra’s Law, which allows courts, after extensive due process, to force the seriously ill into treatment. He was also instrumental in shaping the 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress in 2016.

Jaffe realized that it’s our duty to do what’s best for the seriously mentally ill and society as a whole — but that government agencies inevitably prefer to focus on easier problems, endangering everyone.

The city’s ThriveNYC initiative, he noted, “focuses on improving mental wellness in the masses” though “it is the seriously mentally ill who are most likely to become homeless, arrested, incarcerated, violent, hospitalized, suicidal and victimized.”

He was a dogged, selfless, joyfully ponytailed force of nature. RIP.