I read
a post on a close friend's Facebook page recently that touched my heart. It
was a short but powerful post she about suicide.
Many
that follow my page know that I have lost a step-son through suicide. My
friend has lost a dear brother in the same way. It is a much more complex issue than what
those without the experience frequently think.
Society often quickly jumps to
false conclusions. In our case, we read many posts on the media page that said Dan deserved to die, good riddance. there was no human compassion, no knowledge or interest in who he was, he had not even had a trial yet, he was guilty by public opinion.
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| Dan Bronold |
This post by friend made bears posting here, on my blog, to the many follower. I hope it will be shared and discussed. My hope is it will enlighten those unfamiliar with the topic, reinforce what
those of us know and help spread some more information that might be
helpful. IT is uncomfortable to discuss but needs to be out in the open and better understood by everyone.
When I was younger, I had a session on this topic with a group of teens through my local church. Half way through the class, several teens broke down crying, including the tough males who never seemed bothered by a thing. Most had experienced a loss of someone in this manner. Wrapping your head around suicide is hard, at any age.
I have
made very few edits to my friend's words only to make it pertinent to the blog, more generic to everyone.
"Can't
say it enough...Many people think that a suicide attempt is a selfish move
because the person just does not care about the people left behind. I can tell
you that when a person gets to that point, they truly believe that their loved
ones will be much better off with them gone.This is mental illness not
selfishness.
TRUTH: Depression is a terrible disease and seems relentless. A
lot of us have been close to that edge, or dealt with family members in a
crisis, and some have lost friends and loved ones. Let's look out for each
other and stop sweeping mental illness under the rug. May I ask my family and
friends wherever you might be, to kindly pass this information on and give it a
moment of support to all those who have family problems, health struggles, job
issues, worries of any kind and just need to know that someone cares.
Do it
for all of us, for nobody is immune.
Hope to
see this on the walls of Facebook, Social Media locations everywhere, all my
family and friends just for moral support for myself and so many others I don't
know names of, faces, circumstances. I know some will!!! I did it for a friend
and you can too. No personal information needs to be shared. Thank you."
Special
thank you to my dear friend for posting this on their
page,as a reminder to all of the loss we suffered that is with us forever. When she shared her story, I never dreamed in just a year or so, I would be in a similar
My husband and I started a fund at a camp for troubled youths to help prevent teens from
continuing down a self-destructive path after our son's death. This Camp is Christian-based and is focused on preventing attendees from meeting a similar fate, helping them get on a path where they can reach adulthood and then not destroy their adult lives. If you choose to research it
or donate it, it is listed below. There are just too many successful stories of lives impacted to even know where to begin.
May your eyes be open and you open someone else's eyes to the beauty of life and the outreach for those needing help!
Midcourse Correction Challenge Camp
Attn: Dan Bronold Memorial Fund
833 E. Grand River Ave
