Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Today is International Survivors of Suicide Day 2013 (ISOS), which allows survivors to focus on the efforts they have made to honor their loved one(s), hear each others' stories and learn from experts the ways we can continue to grow and cope. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, ISOS Day started in 1999 when Senator Harry Reid, a survivor of his father’s suicide, introduced a new resolution to the United States Senate. ...
On the evening of December 27, 2011, my father was sitting at his desk in his childhood home. He heated up leftover lasagna and ate it while he typed an email to his best friend notifying him that he had decided to take his life. He sent his friend a text stating, "Please check your email." When my father's friend replied, "Rob, I do not see an email" and did not receive a response, he drove to my father's house only to find the email still ...
Fearing the worst became a natural reaction after my dad died by suicide. Shocked by the unexpected, life-altering news of his death, my brain instinctively shifted to a permanent state of high alert. When friends and loved ones don’t answer their phone, I start to panic that something terrible happened. If I don’t receive an e-mail from someone in a timely manner, I immediately wonder if I need to check in on them further. Dismayed by my dad’s ...
I wanted to include an essay from this past month’s LOSS (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide) newsletter. I really struggled with being vulnerable with my feelings and being able to process them, understand what I was feeling and expressing them. With the holidays coming up, I think we have to be aware of this. We all grieve differently, and not everything works for ever person. For some people (definitely myself included), it's hard to ...
Despite the lasting grief we carry with us after a loss, survivors continue to experience happiness after a suicide - and we have every right to soak up those feelings of joy. On August 13th, at 7:01p.m., my husband and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl to the world. I was overcome with emotion, as I never imagined I could be so in love with someone who I had just met. She was absolutely perfect!
Tomorrow my daughter will be 12 weeks old. ...
