Mental illness and suicide in teenagers has always been an important issue, but for me its always hit close to home. On this day several years ago, my amazing friend Jaime Guerreiro took his life. He wanted his family to be forced to remember him after ignoring his pleas for help for so long. Jaime had Aspergers, which resulted in contestant bullying. That combined with the fact he had a lisp and many people knew he was gay, led to constant verbal and physical attacks. It all became too much for Jay when a family member raped him. Jaime was a beautiful person, both inside and out. He was an amazing musician who could play Mozart and Beethoven with his eyes closed. When he sang, it hit you to your core. This year seems especially hard, lost a pet yesterday (RIP Simon) and my life has been a bit chaotic, so I decided to take that pain to make Jay a Facebook page and to hopefully get awareness out about suicide in teens, especially in the LGBT community. When someone in your life is in need it is so important you encourage them to get help. Everyone has a choice, but all it can take is a kind word, requesting a promise to stay safe, or pointing them in the direction of help to save them. Also please remember that words hurt for more than fists. A cruel word to someone in pain could be the tipping point in their decision. So be responsible for your words and actions, reach out for others and maybe if you see someone whos socially awkward or is alone in a crowd, just take the time to talk to them. You never know how amazing they could be and how your act of kindness could change their lives. Rest in Peace Jay and Simon
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:03:47 +0000
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