"whoever touches us, teaches us....."

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

My Brother Bill

A few of the people who read me here, know me in real life; most do not. For those of you who don't...this is my brother Bill. He was a few years older then me but much more accomplished. He was a National Merit Scholar, an Honor graduate at Vanderbilt, a husband, a father. He died by his own hand in 2005. In September, all of Bill's family and friends, will walk in his memory, to support the American Foundation for Suicide Support. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among males and the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24. The THIRD leading cause. Over 90 percent of suicide victims are either depressed or abusers of alcohol. Won't you please help by clicking on the link below, and making a small donation ....all proceeds go to educate people on depression and suicide prevention. Hopefully the loss of one person will help save the life of another. And if you know someone who is at risk...watch for the signs. Pay attention to symptoms and don't feel like its no big deal or that someone else will intervene. And if you know someone who might be interested in helping, please pass this link on to them. Awareness is the key to turning around those statistics !!
To make a donation or for information: http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=658&participantID=6807

8 comments:

NCmountainwoman said...

It is always a shame to see a life cut short, but most terrible in this manner. I will think of you and the family as you walk in his memory.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Pat, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother.

I applaud everyone walking to raise funds for research to help overcome depression.
Marnie

Anonymous said...

It always saddens me to hear of suicide. Depression kills people, the same as heart disease or diabetes. It's a deadly disease that needs to be treated as such. I'm sorry for your loss.

Anonymous said...

The statistics about suicide are shocking. The realities of suicide are devastating. It's such a senseless, preventable and lonely act.

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I've known too many people who have opted for this permanent solution to temporary problems.

Thanks for the attention on awareness. You couldn't be more correct in your advice to pay attention.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry. It's a hard hard thing to lose someone you love so senselessly.

Anonymous said...

I too have lost someone I cared about to suicide. Although it happened many years ago, I still ask myself, "why?".

I am so sorry for your loss and commend your efforts to bring awareness to this cause.

100 Thoughts of Love said...

thanks so much for all the kind comments!!!

kats said...

For me it's less about the heat, more about all the clutter inside my mind. I shouldn't blame it on the work, because I could post from my cell phone - and I should.

Your post filled my eyes with tears. He looks so happy on this picture and really make me wonder if any sign would be too small of a sign...