Support my walk to help stop suicide
More than 200 Canadians attempt suicide every day, and more than 12 are successful; it is the leading cause of death in men between the ages of 20-44 and women between the ages of 15-34.
Suicide has touched my life many more times than the stories I have previously shared, through the people I love; those who have lost their loved ones to it, those who have considered it, and those who have tried, but thankfully not succeeded. Not one of those people has recovered without support or intervention, and temporary, or ongoing help.
When I walk in the Darkness Into Light 5km walk/run, I will be walking for these friends and loved ones, against the pain, pressure, loneliness, exhaustion, and hopelessness they have (or are) confronting.
#lifeisbetterwithyou #endthestigma #everyoneneedshelp
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The Third Time
The third time I lost someone to suicide, it was last year, and he was a man I had been friends with a long time. He certainly wasn’t perfect, but he left an indelible print on my life (even having a hand in the way I met André), and I still regularly attend events where he should just BE, and isn’t anymore. He was the first person to be there for his friends, but he lost a long-standing, private, battle with loneliness.
When I walk in the Darkness Into Light 5km walk/run, I will be walking for Kurt; for the clever, quiet man, with the bawdy sense of humour, whose company I always enjoyed, against the despondency he couldn’t see an end to.
#lifeisbetterwithyou #endthestigma #everyoneneedshelp
The Second Time
The second time I lost someone to suicide, I hadn’t even had a chance to meet them. My eldest brother Gerry, who I was not in a position to have met until almost 2 decades later, stayed late at work one night to help a friend work on his car, and then took his own life. He had faced a lot of challenges, engaging in an extended, but private, battle with his demons, and ultimately, he chose not to reach out for help.
When I walk in the Darkness Into Light 5km walk/run, I will be walking for Gerry; for the brother I didn’t get to meet, against the illness he didn't let anyone help with.
#lifeisbetterwithyou #endthestigma #everyoneneedshelp
The First Time
The first time I lost someone to suicide, I was 20. Dee was my boyfriend's aunt, and she had been going through an incredibly tough time, as we watched the veneer fall from what we all had assumed to be a perfect life and a perfect marriage.
She fought a quiet battle to regain a sense of self, with very few people around her recognizing her herculean struggle, and even fewer of us being in a position trusted enough to guide her to the resources she might have needed to survive the fight. Eventually, Dee was beaten by an overwhelming sense of failure, loneliness, and the stigma of asking for help in her stage of life/social standing, and mental illness took my friend.
When I walk in the Darkness Into Light 5km walk/run, I will be walking for Dee, and for the light I couldn't help her see, against the illness she didn't want anyone to see.
#lifeisbetterwithyou #endthestigma #everyoneneedshelp
