Monday, September 5, 2016

You can save a life

This is National Suicide Prevention Week. When I tell some people this, some of them ask me what they can do. Some are willing to walk to raise funds and a few people wondered about why there would be a need to have a week set aside for suicide prevention. They get surprised when I show them the statistics. They did not even realize that for some people life is very difficult and unhappy. 

I learned about the hard realities of life for a teenager when one of my very close friends took her own life just a year before our college graduation. Everyone thought that she was a very funny girl,  a very good student ,very helpful and outgoing. No one could ever think that she would not care about her own life. No one knew what went on in her mind. If only she knew that there were people who would be willing to help her deal with her problems she could have been alive today.Many people who feel suicidal are experiencing a treatable mental health condition.   I always hope and pray that there is help for people who are feeling suicidal and now I know that American Foundation For Suicide Prevention is the answer to my prayers. I am asking my family and my friends to visit their site and see what they can do. 


My daughter is fundraising for this foundation for her birthday. If you are able and interested, you can donate here: http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.personalCampaign&participantID=1049323 But even if you can't donate, just starting a conversation can make a difference for someone.