One year ago today, my friend Jim lost his fight. No matter how hard I try, I cant find eloquent words for it, nor do I think I should. Painting it in a certain picture disguises an already difficult foe. Jim took his own life. Ive read a lot about first responders fighting depression, PTSD, addiction. Nothing Ive read puts a face to it like losing a friend to it. People who havent been there before have their opinions. People who have are often afraid to speak out due to stigma. Getting help is like a winnable lottery: the only chance you have to win is to play. Asking for help is the brave choice: suffering in silence helps no one. In an attempt to make his loss slightly less of a waste- and it was just that- an unnecessary loss of a good person, I want to tell anyone reading this who may be struggling to make the call. If you dont write down the number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255), just google National Suicide and it will be the first site to come up. Help exists. No more empty chairs at these tables.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 06:17:47 +0000
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