A Voice on the Phone Saved Me
By Anonymous.
I was in a dark place had talked to Dr’s and they didn't understand. So I built walls around me and cut off everyone. ...
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift... that's why they call it present”
― Master Oogway
HOPEFUL PREVENTION STORIES
Unstoppable Force
By Nicole C.
I hope when you read my story, the whole world stops. I hope when you read this story, you have positive epiphanies about yourself and your place in the universe. I hope ...
Coming Through it
By Sean F.
When I was in my early 20’s the pressures of life led me to depression and suicidal thoughts. But it started when I graduated high school, I just didn’t know it. I was putting on a mask every...
You Have a Path and a Purpose
By Beth Shelby.
It’s been 30 years since my journey began. I felt compelled to share, now having 2 teenagers of my own, and watching them lose friends to suicide. I am a wife ...
SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS STORIES
Guinevere | Haslett, MI
What's the name of the person you lost? Matthieu David
What was your relationship to them? Wife
What is your favorite memory of them? The way he comforted me, “you can never disappoint me”.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? A friend told me that suicide is caused by something like a cancer of the emotions. Thinking of Matt dying from emotional cancer was comforting to me—it took away my guilt that I somehow didn’t do “enough” to stop it.
Ashley | Chicago, IL
What's the name of the person you lost? Mary Lou
What was their relationship to you? My mom
What do you miss (or not miss) about them? I miss my mom's face. I would always look at her blue eyes and smooth skin and think how pretty she was. I miss watching her interact with my dad and being able to see how much they loved each other. I miss the way she would hold and rub my hand. I don't miss watching the mother I loved so much fade away because of depression and anxiety.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? My close friends traveled countless hours to be at the visitation and funeral, but the most impactful think was that they acted NORMAL around me. We laughed, drank wine, talked about my mom, talked about suicide, and it was so impactful to be able to be myself in those first few weeks.
Theodore | New York, NY
What's the name of the person you lost? Nadine Simone
What was their relationship to you? Sister
What is your favorite memory of them? Too many to pick one, I would say my favourite is when I was 8 years old, my sister (then 20) bought me a sweater for Christmas. I was so sad but she said to "open and let me see if it fits you", out falls the one videogame I was begging my parents to get me. I hate surprises but that was the only time I was ever happy to be surprised. It wasn't the gift so much as the fact she knew EXACTLY at every single moment in my life how to make me feel special.
Is there anything else that you want to share or that you wish we had asked you? I would say perhaps the best thing would be to share with everyone that life is hard. But it doesn't mean it needs to be hard and on your own. Sharing a bit of the load is how we all get through the hard days and it's what we want to do during the good ones. Don't be a stranger.
Dorothy | San Francisco, Californie
What's the name of the person you lost? Olivia
What was their relationship to you? Sister
What is your favorite memory of them? Her laugh.
What do you miss (or not miss) about them? I miss her advice.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? Tell me memories they had of my sister.
Kara | Jackson, MI
What's the name of the person you lost? Jon
What was your relationship to them? Jon is my brother. Both my brothers and I were adopted from different countries and at different ages. Jon came into our family as an older adoption, so we are the same age, but not blood related. He hated me at first, even cut me out of family pictures, but as we grew older, we became really close.
What do you miss (or not miss) about them? I miss having someone to call whenever anything goes wrong. He and I used to vent about anything and everything to each other.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? A friend sent me a letter about a month after his death. She told me that she waited so long because she knew from experience that that is when people stop checking in on you. She also knew that Jon had a rock collection and she made me a display case with a picture of him so I can display his rock collection.
Betsy | New York, NY
What's the name of the person you lost? Joel
What was their relationship to you? My father
What is your favorite memory of them? My dad and I shared a special bond over music. Some of the greatest memories I have with him have been at Pearl Jam concerts. There was one time where I was very young and this couple was extremely drunk and smoking pot behind us. My dad had to ask them to stop blowing smoke at me and they laughed in his face. Thinking back on it now, it's one of the funniest concert memories I have with him.
Is there anything you wish people would ask (or not ask)? I wish people asked about him more. His interests, what kind of person he was, etc. He shouldn’t be this person we don’t speak of because of the stigma attached to the way he left. I miss him, and I want to talk about him.
Jonelle | Washington DC
What's the name of the person you lost? John
What was their relationship to you? My dad
What do you miss (or not miss) about them? I miss my dad's laugh and his voice. He had a full laugh that showed how much he was feeling joy in the moment.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? I have a few friends who regularly ask me, "How's dad?" I love that they do this because the question acknowledges the space he had and still has in my life, and gives me space to take the conversation to where I want to, or to whatever is on my mind about him, whether happy or sad or new things I'm processing.
Abby | Nouvelle-Angleterre, USA
What's the name of the person you lost? Aaron
What was your relationship to them? Partner
What do you miss (or not miss) about them? I miss Aaron’s patience, understanding, shiny laughter and way of making me light up and laugh. I miss his way of making me feel present.
Is there anything you wish people would ask (or not ask)? I wish more people would ask me what Aaron was like.
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? Once Aaron's family-friend gave me a metal cube as a metaphor for my connection to Aaron. She wrote, “the cube symbolizes permanence and stability.” That meant a lot to me.
Jade | Philadelphie, PA
What's the name of the person you lost? Evangeline
What was your relationship to them? Sister
What's something helpful someone did for you after you lost them? Came over or dropped something off without asking me what I need first. I usually have no idea what I need or what to ask for. The most helpful friends are the ones who just say "I'm bringing you food" or "I'm picking you up". When someone says "let me know if you need anything", this transfers the burden of reaching out and also figuring out what I need back onto me. Processing my trauma takes all the emotional bandwidth I've got at the moment. Anything that relieves me of thinking and planning help the most.