(originally posted 8.6.06)
May 6th I lost my husband, John, to the terrible and often misunderstood illness of depression. John’s death has not only devastated me, but also Erika, Tyler, John’s sons (Mike and Sam), his family, his friends and colleagues.
On October 15th I'll be taking part in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Portland. I am joining thousands of other walkers nationwide to raise funds for the awareness and prevention of suicide.
The goal of this event is to raise funds for suicide prevention, erase the stigma
surrounding suicide and its causes, to encourage those suffering from mental illness to seek treatment, and to show support for the families and friends of the 30,000 Americans who die by suicide and the 20 million people that suffer from depression each year. Every 18 minutes someone in this country dies as a result of suicide. These are completely unacceptable numbers; it means that we must do something now.Some friends of mine have volunteered to join me and create a team that will walk together on October 15th. We are walking in memory of my husband John, but family members and friends who have died because of suicide have also touched others on our team
To make a tax-deductible donation please write a check payable to AFSP and mail it to me; I will then mail all of the checks to AFSP. You can also go online and make a donation on their secure site and add a comment if you like. Go to: www.outofthedarkness.org, click on “
Support A Participant”, enter my name and follow the link to my donation page.John's death has affected so many, we all love him and miss him so much. Please support our team in hopes of preventing another family from having to know this type of pain. Together, we can make a difference!
