![\"Mychal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/VAC-L-THREETS-0522.jpg\")
Mychal Threets high-fives students at an assembly at Cleo Gordon Elementary School in Fairfield during a visit in May 2026. (COURTESY)<\/p>\nBeloved Fairfield native Mychal Threets says he believes he is \u201crunning out of time\u201d as he continues to struggle with his mental health, sharing a deeply personal message with his followers on Instagram for World Mental Health Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what time I have left, but I\u2019m gonna keep on trying to find joy each and every day no matter what happens,\u201d Threets said in the video posted on Oct. 10.<\/p>\n
The former Fairfield librarian and nationally known \u201cReading Rainbow\u201d host acknowledged that while followers may see him as doing well, that is not how he feels.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople keep on saying, \u2018Mychal, I\u2019m glad to see you\u2019re doing well. I\u2019m glad to see you\u2019re OK,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not doing well. I\u2019m not OK. But I believe that\u2019s OK because I\u2019m trying my best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Threets, who has built a large following through his enthusiasm for books, libraries, and what he calls \u201clibrary joy,\u201d spoke candidly about the intensity of his emotions and the effort it takes to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n
Mychal Threets high-fives students at an assembly at Cleo Gordon Elementary School in Fairfield during a visit in May 2026. (COURTESY)<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brain is very loud. My feelings are very big,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Despite his uncertainty about the future, he emphasized his determination to keep looking for happiness and holding on to hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what tomorrow has in store. I haven\u2019t met tomorrow yet, but I have hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Threets also made clear that he wants to remain connected to the world around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see you at the library, at the bookstore, in the world where all belong,\u201d he told his followers.\u00a0\u201cI want to stay. I\u2019m trying to stay. I am asking for help. I am asking for joy. I am seizing hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
He described himself as being on a continuing journey toward feeling OK, taking each day as it comes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m on a journey to OK, to keep on to tomorrow each and every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to stay, and I\u2019m thankful for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video prompted an outpouring of support from followers, many of whom echoed Threets\u2019 familiar message of gratitude for people who keep going through difficult times.<\/p>\n
Commenters expressed their love and appreciation for Threets, thanked him for speaking openly about his struggles, and shared their own experiences with mental health challenges. Many said his honesty helped them feel less alone.<\/p>\n
Threets has spoken publicly about his mental health before. In August, he posted on Threads, Meta\u2019s text-based social media platform, that he was not OK and was seeking help.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll never be okay,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI\u2019m seeking help. Going to the (hospital) tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The posts have drawn attention to the importance of seeking support and recognizing that outward appearances do not necessarily reflect what someone is experiencing privately.<\/p>\n
Threets worked for 11 years at Solano County\u2019s Fairfield Civic Center Library before leaving in 2024, saying he wanted to prioritize his mental health. His work as a librarian and literary advocate earned him a devoted following, and he has continued connecting with audiences through social media and his role hosting an online revival of \u201cReading Rainbow.\u201d<\/p>\n
In May, Threets returned to Fairfield for a surprise visit to Cleo Gordon Elementary School, where excited students greeted him with high-fives.<\/p>\n
His message in the Oct. 10 video returned to a theme that has long defined his public presence: the importance of joy, connection, and helping people feel that they belong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to pursue joy relentlessly with all the time I have left,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He closed by thanking followers for continuing to try, continuing to stay, and supporting one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still here! Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Beloved Fairfield native Mychal Threets says he believes he is \u201crunning out of time\u201d as he continues to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[310021,179,84394,201546,134,2113,256,554,555,111,43,139,37581,37582,69,310022,279303,310023,310024,279304],"class_list":["post-632259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-benicia","tag-california","tag-dixon","tag-fairfield","tag-health","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-north-bay","tag-northern-california","tag-nz","tag-rio-vista","tag-solano-county","tag-suisun-city","tag-vacaville","tag-vallejo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}