Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
We are all familiar with the pain that accompanies a loss by suicide. What we often do not talk about are the other relationships that are challenged or even broken after a suicide occurs. Secondary loss, as they are often referred to, are the losses that occur in addition to the person lost on that tragic day. We expect the people we trust the most to be our strength in the aftermath of such tragedy. When they do not give us what we need, ...
We all remember that moment in time when we either were told, or found that our loved one had died by suicide. For me, it was a call in the middle of the night. Without even answering the call, I knew that it was about my dad. Your gut is strange; it often knows things that your mind and heart aren't yet ready to acknowledge or accept. In the days following my loss, it's as if the world stood still. There was much to be done; decisions to ...
Twice in two days, the brutal reality of my dad’s suicide presented itself when I had to share about my family’s health history with doctors. It reminded me that even years after a loved one dies, their method of death haunts those left behind.
When visiting with a new general practitioner, she asked about my mom’s age and the state of her health. I immediately began to dread the question that would follow, “And, how about your father?” I ...
When someone dies unexpectedly, we do not have the ability to process what this death means. We do not have time to plan, and we do not have time to think about a future without the person that we lost. In a minute, often a violent minute, this person is taken away from us. Every thought about the future now becomes a blur; nothing makes sense. This is one aspect of suicide grief that is difficult for others to understand if they have not ...
I was recently asked to share my grief journey on the survivors of suicide site, The Gift of Second. I wanted to share my video with our readers in an effort to offer insight and perspective on suicide, mental illness and grief. I have learned a lot about myself in the four years after losing my dad to suicide. While his death caused tremendous pain, it also led to a different outlook on life. Not only has his death made me a stronger, more ...
