Nearly 20 percent of New Mexico’s population had been diagnosed as having depression as of 2024, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics.
It might seem a startling number, but it only tells part of New Mexico’s mental health story. Some residents might avoid seeking treatment or diagnoses based on cultural or generational beliefs, and others live in areas with limited medical care. The latter was the case for Jake McCook and Sara Tapia-Tomer, who grew up together in the Raton area and have witnessed the fallout of untreated mental health problems.
“We’ve both lost friends to suicide, alcohol and drug overdoses, etc., and we saw it get worse every year,” McCook says. “Sara studied psychology at UNM and worked in the field here, and I worked on social issues in government, nonprofit and public relations. Over the years, we grew frustrated that our health care system was so broken and failing our communities. So, we met one day at Village Pizza in Corrales, where we both live now, and decided to do something ourselves.”
The result of that conversation is Through the Fire, a documentary featuring New Mexicans telling their mental health stories. McCook and Tapia-Tomer continue to conduct interviews and are looking for current or native New Mexicans to share tales of triumph. The two are producing Through the Fire in partnership with NMCO Studio in Las Cruces; those interested in participating may visit throughthefirenm.com, which features a trailer that offers insight into how the project works.
McCook fielded questions from Pasatiempo about the project; his replies have been edited for length and clarity.
In what format will you release the finished product, and what’s your timetable for that?
We want as many New Mexicans to see this as possible, especially outside the I-25 corridor, so we are eyeing broadcast TV but exploring other options. I’m sure it will eventually show up on online or on a streaming platform. I like to say we are not just going to put it on YouTube, but we don’t expect it to sell to Netflix, because it’s not true crime. We definitely plan to take the project around the state to screenings in schools, community centers, etc., in whatever format fits those venues.
As we edit the full episodes, we are also going to do a podcast series, which will include video. This will allow us to create a space for more people to share their stories, get them out to the world quicker and for less money. We already have a lot of interest in this and are working to release a first podcast episode by the holidays.
Does Sara travel to interview people in person? That’s quite an undertaking in a state this large.
Yes, we both do. These are professional shoots, and we spend a half-day to a full day with the subjects, getting to know them, their families, and their communities. This spring we filmed in Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Raton, Albuquerque, and Española. After the sit-down interviews, we ask subjects to take us on a “cruise” through their old stomping grounds, and we interview them while driving to reflect on where they came from and where they are today. We also interview one “character witness,” which can be a family member, work colleague, etc., who sort of “testifies” to the person’s story. Finally, we try to capture sunsets and landscapes to showcase the diverse beauty of our state, and as a result, the cities and towns are becoming supporting characters. This was all very organic and not heavily planned or scripted.
Whose idea was this, and how do you and Sara know each other?
Sara and I attended Maxwell High School, which is about 30 minutes from Raton. It was a wonderful community and is still one of the smallest schools in the state. We both graduated [in classes of] about 16 people; I was the junior class president and Sara was the senior class president, and we grew very close. My mother was the principal at Maxwell and had been a teacher in Raton, where Sara went to middle school, so we go way back.
After the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in 2022, I had the opportunity through my environmental consulting day job to profile a wonderful family who had literally been through the fire. I knew other documentaries were being made, focusing on struggles with the U.S. Forest Service, FEMA, etc. Coming from Northern New Mexico myself, I wanted to capture the spirit of resilience I know runs deep in these communities. The result was this short film I produced. The response was very positive, I think because it tells the story of a traumatic event in a different way. That inadvertently became the proof of concept for this project. So, I began to save up enough money from my consulting work and paid for the first wave of production out of my own pocket, and here we are.
Is there a deadline for people to express interest in being interviewed for this?
There’s no hard deadline, and we see this as a long-term project. People have started to reach out with interest in sharing their stories, and that tells us we’re on to something.
Do you have a target for how many people you want to interview as part of this project?
In the first phase, we’re planning on three full episodes from three different people, plus a “meet the narrator” episode featuring Sara. We’re aiming for 20 minutes each, which is a good length for TV broadcast. We’ve filmed two episodes and are in the process of editing both. We don’t have an exact timeline, but we’d like to have some episodes out by the end of the calendar year. The people who have trusted us with their stories deserve quality time and attention so we can tell their stories in a way that honors them and inspires audiences. Everyone involved in this project has a day job, and the creative process is ebbing and flowing with the speed of life.
You look like you’re in your 30s; have you seen changes during your lifetime, for better or worse, in attitudes toward mental health care?
I’m glad you asked, because it’s becoming an unexpected part of this project. Sara and I are both 44; we’re right on that Gen X/Millennial spectrum, and we’re finding other people our age-ish who actually want to talk about this stuff. Our parents, and surely our grandparents, grew up in a world where you did not. You combine that with the rural communities, Hispanic communities, and Tribal communities in New Mexico, and you get more layers of stigma where I think a lot of our generational trauma comes from.
One of our subjects talks about the “maintenance” we have to do to get through daily life and the pressures of school, of work, of family. The behaviors we have to learn and re-learn. The language we have to understand and use. Spaces and places where you aren’t called weak, stupid, a failure, a freak, a crazy person, etc. How we overcome mistakes and get through the fire. That’s what this project is about.
I have always been drawn to documentary storytelling because it’s real stories from real people. But over time, I saw formats like reality TV (think Cops, which was popular in Albuquerque in the 1990s), Dateline, and others sensationalized trauma. That does nothing to help people who are going through it. As Sara often says, “Where’s the light in that?” So that’s why, at its core, our project is about redemption, with stories of hope, healing, and transformation.
For more information, to make a contribution, or to share your story with the project’s filmmakers, visit throughthefirenm.com.
Brian Sandford, Santa Fe New Mexican/Pasa Tiempo, Sept. 11, 2026
Have you gone through the fire and made it to the other side? Do you know someone who has? Here's what we're looking for:
We're highlighting people who are living in, or who are originally from, New Mexico.
We care more about the person than the problem, and we want to highlight the triumph, not the trauma.
We're casting a wide net - some have shared stories about their family, relationships, job, or their personal struggles with mental health, addiction, or simply finding their place in life.
We're not looking to exploit, shame or embarrass anyone, and we won't use their story without their full partnership or permission.
