There are tragedies.
And in those instances, we either expire or we blossom.
We either sleep or we awaken.
We have a choice...
...Or do we?
For some, the threshold for pain is deep.
For others it is shallow.
Either way, the pain is inevitable, but for some it is unbearable.
With permission from Zeke’s family, I regretfully inform you all that my daughter, Torie’s first love, Zeke committed suicide on 11/13.
But I emphatically tell you this news with the purpose and hope of saving lives, waking up the world up to take the focus off this fu#%ing pandemic and consider our mental health as well as others’ mental health around us!
Listen up! In 2020 alone,
-Suicide is the 10th leading cause of deaths nationwide (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm)
-On average, 132 Americans died by suicide each day, and in 2020,
1.4 million Americans attempted suicide.
-90% of those who died by suicide had a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death.
-48,344 Americans died by suicide so far in 2020. We still have 43 days remaining which on average could mean that there could potentially mean 6,042 more deaths.
Multiply 48,344 by the 5 people closest to the suicide victim, and you are now talking about 241,720 people who have been left scratching their heads,
blaming themselves for things they did or didn’t do or could’ve done differently to save the life of a loved one.
That number exceeds the 232,639 covid deaths this year up to this day.
I went to Zeke’s funeral yesterday.
My heart ached as his family sobbed with guttural wails over the death of their beloved son, brother, and grandson.
I felt broken and helpless, escorting my beautiful daughter down the aisle as she sat in shock over the death of her first love.
I watched in awe as she drew strength from the bottom of her broken heart and conducted an impromptu song rehearsal to Zeke’s lifeless body at the morgue.
I witnessed my child’s strength, fueled by the purpose of comforting Zeke’s family as she sang in front of hundreds of grieving loved ones...Hundreds who loved a boy but couldn’t convince him to love himself nor the life in front of him.
Today, with the help of my children and my sister-in-law, I checked my ex-husband in to a mental health facility after he witnessed the suicide of Zeke.
In Zeke’s suicide story, there are many more than 5 loved ones affected. I can’t imagine that story is much different with suicides nationwide.
Multiplying the total 2020 suicide deaths by 5 is likely a conservative guess. Multiplying it by 10 or more lives brings the number to over 483,440.
The ripple effect reverberates.
Yes, this story is raw.
It is uncomfortable and painful.
But it is our reality and unfortunately, it is not uncommon.
There are no suicide “tests”
No false positives
Nor shut downs because of suicide.
There isn’t a vaccination for it either.
But there are awareness and prevention programs.
If you or a loved one has suicidal thoughts or tendencies, I implore you to reach out for to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - a United States based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline help 1-800-273-8255.
