If you followed my link from Snippet Sunday or Weekend Writing Warriors click here or scroll a little to find this week’s 8 sentences. If you can, please take the time to read this post first.
Welcome to my stop on the Suicide Prevention Blog Hop!
Thanks, Louisa, for organizing this hop, and thanks to all of you who are hopping around and helping raise awareness—because it doesn’t take much to make a difference.
First, the prizes—Louisa is generously offering a $50 Amazon Gift Card & that’s a lot of reading! Be sure and enter via Rafflecopter before hopping on. Over 30 authors are hosting their own giveaways, so make sure you hit all the stops.
One of my favorite charities is The Trevor Project—they’re always available for anyone in the US to call if they’re in crisis, or if they know someone who is and aren’t sure what to do. They also have an amazingly high rating on Charity Navigator which, as a habitual donor, is very important to me. I don’t have a lot of money to give and want to know it’s going where it’ll do the most good.
Their rating is also important because I’m giving away their swag—three “Talk to Me” kits, to be precise. I know, this isn’t your typical blog hop prize, but this isn’t your typical blog hop.
The time got away from me, though, and I don’t have the kits on-hand yet. So, to be sure I can hand out at least one prize at the end of the hop I’m also giving away a $10 gift certificate to either Amazon, Dreamspinner, Amber Quill Press, or All Romance eBooks, winner’s choice! Because I want to get everyone who visits thinking about one thing:
You never really know who will need a little help to get through the day.
I learned that in 1998 and will never forget it.
Kiddo was 12 and we’d moved into our first apartment, just the two of us, a few months before. I didn’t have any illusions we were living the blue-sky life I’d hoped for her, but we were better off than the year before.
There I was, so proud of myself, thinking I’d figured out all on my own that I had a gay son and was just waiting for “the talk” so I could start being the cool mom—passing out condoms, marching in parades, and the whole shebang. Instead, I came home to a scary note from my gay daughter—that I didn’t quite believe at first but that changed both of our lives. I’ll spare you the gory details but for the next two weeks she was an inpatient in a psych facility and over the next year went in and out of two more. Luckily she didn’t suffer any permanent physical effects, but the few years that followed were a dark time for us. A dark time we navigated almost completely on our own.
In the weeks and months leading up to that day she hadn’t seemed to be in crisis—nothing happened to make me think I had anything to worry about.
That’s why this hop is so important: any kid can get into trouble at any time.
Any person can get into trouble at any time. And when you’re feeling low it’s easy to believe nobody cares, even if you’re in a room full of people.
Thanks for visiting my stop on the hop—I won’t ask you to do anything special to enter my giveaway, but if you want extra entries you can tweet about the hop, share on FB or G+ or Tumblr—anything you’d like to do to help us get the word out that it’s National Suicide Prevention Week, and where to go for help.
Just to be clear–i’m giving away one $10 gift certificate and three Talk to Me kits from The Trevor Project (which will be sent as soon as i get them!).
The hop runs through September 14th, and the Grand Prize winner will be chosen on Sunday the 15th.
Click here to visit Louisa and the linky list of participants!
Click here to enter the Rafflecopter Grand Prize giveaway!
If you’d like to learn more, you can visit the National Suicide Prevention Week FB page, or The Trevor Project on Facebook or their web site.
Charley Descoteaux 
Great post Chazzy . What you are doing is brilliant. Really xx
Thanks, Shey. It’s not easy, but it’s very important. *hugs* Thanks for stopping in.
Stopped by for SnS but saw this post first. What a GREAT idea. I wish I’d known about it. Is it too late to join in? I am so glad your daughter got the help she needed and that she is (I hope?) okay now.
She’s better, thanks Anastasia.
You might try e-mailing Louisa. This is the first day of the hop so she may be happy to welcome you! 🙂
It’s my first time organizing a hop. The Linkz says it closes in four hours though … so you can jump on. Or, email me and I might be able to link if it’s past that time.
Sent you a message on FB, Lousia. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing!
Kassandra
sionedkla@gmail.com
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
My son spent over 4 years struggling to deal with severe PTSD and TBI from his 15 months in Iraq. On Jan. 2, 2011, he decided he could no longer do it and completed suicide. He was 25 and my oldest child, my sunshine, my pride and joy and my friend. We tried for many years to get him help, he was surrounded by loving family and friends, but I think sometimes he felt like a failure because he wasn’t able to handle it on his own. My sister and her husband are both psychologists so there was never any stigma about getting help. To say that his death devastated all of us is an understatement. I will never be the person I use to be, a part of me will be broken until I’m with him again. Thank you for bringing this subject out in the open, I talk about it often. My son didn’t do this to hurt us, he just wanted the pain to stop, I know that if he had been thinking clearly, knowing all the pain that we would be in, he never would have done this, he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. We talked about suicide often, the extra hurt that came when someone chooses to take their life and he promised me that if he ever felt like that, he would come to me. But one night after not sleeping for days and tired of the sounds and smells of battle assaulting him, he broke his promise and my heart. Suicide needs to be taken out of the closet, held like a dirty little secret, a brand of shame that only adds to the ones that attempt and the survivors. Only taking it out into the light of day and talking about it loudly instead of whispering in disgust will we then start to put a halt to this overwhelming tide of suicide.
proudarmymom32(at)yahoo(dot)com
*hugs* Sue, I’m so sorry for you and your family. You’re right, the only way to reduce the number of people who feel they have no other way to make the pain stop, is to talk about it.
Thank you for visiting and sharing your story. *hugs*
Of course he never did that to hurt you Sue, He did just need the pain to stop and that is why he didn’t see it as breaking his promise, he was just beyond keeping it. How do I know? Well one of my daughters ihas tried to kill herself seven times. I just live every day with the hope there will not be an eighth. I am really really sorry about you son and I think this blog hop is a great thing. .
I really think this hop will save some lives–the stories are heartrending, but the bravery and kindness is really inspiring!
I sure hope so! Thanks for your kind words.
Thank you for sharing your story, and it sounds like you are a very intuitive mom. You’re right though — so many people don’t exhibit signs that something is going on.
What wonderful links and graphics! ((hugs))
Charley, this Blog Hop is a great effort and your post is an important one. I’m thankful your family is thriving after such an intense time.
My condolences to Sue for the loss of her son. I’m actually writing a short story about an army veteran struggling with PTSD and my research has been eye-opening. I came across the Veteran’s Crisis Line in my research and hope that veterans and their loved ones will use the resources available to them in these difficult times. My heart goes out to all those who have lost friends and family due to suicide. Let’s get this conversation started.
Thanks so much for being part of this hop, Charley. So glad your daughter had someone there when she needed them! You’re awesome. 🙂
I suffer from depression and I have good days and bad days. I have learned to take one day at a time. 🙂 So wonderful to have this kind of blog hop. So sorry to Sue. Big hugs. Charley glad your daughter could get help.
Sue B
Sorry forgot to leave my email.
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for sharing your story
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thanks for participating Charley and sharing your story. Getting the message out that help is available is very important
I love that you’re giving kits away! I went to their page and it’s a terrific site. My daughter is ’emo’ and cuts herself. I’m going to get a kit for her. THANK YOU:)
cc_clubbs at yahoo dot com
Thanks for taking part in the hop and for spreading awareness. Also thank you for sharing your experience with suicide. I hope everything is well for you and your daughter.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks for the hop. I like the poster you feature here. Absolutely pin it!
Great idea, thanks Ashtrie!
I’m so pleased your daughter recovered. I hope she is well now.
ShirleyAnn@speakman40.freeserve.co.uk
Charley, I can’t imagine the pain you went through, nor the pain your daughter suffered through for too long. I’m so glad you both made it through that time and that you’re sharing your wisdom with the rest of us. Particularly: “You never really know who will need a little help to get through the day. … Any person can get into trouble at any time. And when you’re feeling low it’s easy to believe nobody cares, even if you’re in a room full of people.” That’s why it’s so wonderful that you’re spreading the word about support and The Trevor Project. Thank you for sharing with all of us.
Thanks for participating in such a worthwhile hop.
pjmillion (at) comcast (dot) net