I wrote the following poem for my Aunt, who passed away by suicide over two years ago. Her passing was absolutely heartbreaking to my family, especially my mother, who lost her baby sister. This piece was in speaking to my Aunt, the love my mother had and does have for her, and the admiration I […]
CW: Suicide When I was twelve years old, I walked onto my middle school campus for what seemed like an ordinary morning. The air was cold, and the skies were unusually gray for spring––a Friday the thirteenth on a chilly May day. As I went through the motions of my usual routine, walking to my […]
CW: Mentions of suicide. In the wake of my father’s suicide, when I was just 12 years old, I was engulfed in a storm of grief, guilt, and confusion. During a late-night internet deep dive, I stumbled upon a report by the John Hopkins Children’s Center that found that children of parents who die by […]
CW: Suicide My Grandma and Grandpa have been two of the most important people in my life since the moment I was born. For just over 19 years, I never had to imagine life without either of them, until last November, when my Grandpa passed away. This was a gut-wrenching few months for my family […]
Content Warning: This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Living with suicidal ideation is terrifying. I have experienced suicidal ideation numerous times over the years, and frequently have to battle these thoughts on a […]
“I didn’t know anyone else came out here. I thought Phillip was being forgotten.” Running into another person in a space I was starting to feel comfortable being alone in led me to confront feelings I had been having and not necessarily dealing with. At first, I was embarrassed to admit how often I visited […]
I used to wish that my first heartbreak was just that, a breakup story. But my first heartbreak was a heartache from loss. I was sixteen when I was impacted by suicide; at that point I had known and loved him for half of my life. I met Jeremy when I was eight. We were […]
The news spread like wildfire: there was a dead body on campus. For hours, students were scrambling for information. Who, how, when, why? Rumors were flying with misinformation and stories. The school was quick to email everyone with a vague description and a promise that as information came and was appropriate for the public, we […]
It is hard to remember a time before I understood the meaning of the word “suicide.” My mom Joanne, who works in the mental health field, made sure it was never a taboo subject in my household despite the deeply personal weight of the subject. Five years before I was born, my mom lost her […]
Yesterday my family and I, although miles apart in physical proximity, lit a candle in each of our respective homes for my brother who passed away 7 months ago. It just so happened to fall on World Suicide Prevention Day. The past seven months for me personally have been a whirlwind. After he passed away, […]