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How Harry Lemming’ s Lifelong Fight for Strength and Healing Shapes Mental Health Care
Harry Lemming CEO hen you meet Harry Lemming, the first thing you notice is his presence— a steady, calm strength, the kind you’ d expect from someone who once spent his days on the football field, pushing his limits and leading his team. But there’ s something else, too— a quiet empathy, an unwavering commitment to doing what’ s right. It’ s that balance of strength and compassion that has made him not just aleader, but alifeline for so many at Glen Oaks Hospital.
Harry didn’ t always dream of being a CEO. His first love was football— the discipline, the drive, the sense of purpose. Growing up, his coach was more than a mentor; he was a father figure. Through early morning practices and hard-fought games, Harry learned the value of hard work and the power of showing up— even when it’ shard, even when you’ re hurting. That lesson has followed him into every chapter of his life.“ Exercise is medicine,” Harry often says— and he means it. Lifting weights taught him focus. Jogging taught him how to breathe. Both taught him the importance of staying in the now. It’ s something he carries into his work at Glen Oaks Hospital every day. In Harry’ s view,“ Depression is worrying about the past. Anxiety is worrying about the future,”. It’ s a simple definition, but a powerful one. And it’ s one he understands deeply. He’ s no stranger to the pain mental illness can bring. He’ s lost family members to suicide— a heartbreak that leaves scars that never fully fade. Others in his life have stood on the edge of that same darkness but, with help and hope, found their way back to full and beautiful lives.
That’ s why Harry believes awareness is everything.“ You don’ t know what you don’ t know,” he often says. Understanding the causes and effects of serotonin and endorphins on the brain isn’ t just science— it’ s survival. Knowing your own mental health capacity, recognizing your triggers, and finding healthy coping mechanisms can make all the difference. And for so many people, the battle with mental health begins
with trauma. Substance use, he believes, often isn’ t about the substance at all— it’ s about the painpeople are trying to numb.
But awareness isn’ t enough on its own. There are barriers. Financial strain. Cultural stigmas. Lack of transportation, especially in a rural state like Texas, where services can be few and far between. And yet, despite those challenges, Glen Oaks Hospital stands as abeacon of hope.
That hope starts at the top. For Harry, his job isn’ t just a title— it’ s a calling.“ No patient is different than me,” he says. He sees himself in every person who walks through the doors of Glen Oaks. And while his passion for football ran deep, the work he does now— seeing lives change, watching families heal— has become even more rewarding than his time on the field.
The numbers tell a story of success. The vast majority of Glen Oaks patients never need to come back. Another much smaller percent only return once. But behind those numbers are faces, stories, futures. They’ re people who’ ve found their way back to hope because someone cared enough to meet them where they were.
Harry Lemming still carries the lessons his coach taught him all those years ago— about showing up, about pushing through, about leading with both strength and heart. And every day at Glen Oaks Hospital, he passes those lessons on— not from a football field, but from a place of healing, hope, and unwavering compassion.