Friday, May 29, 2009

Today...

Today was White Wreath Day.

In remembrance of all victims of suicide.

I didn't know this until I decided to look at the site today of all days.

My uncle told me about the white wreath website when Simon passed away.

Simon took his own life. It is a very hard thing to understand.

White Wreath are a great organisation. They try to raise awareness of mental illness and the struggles that people can go through. They provide havens and support for people who are having a hard time coping with life. They support the family and friends who are left behind when a loved one commits suicide.

I have known people who have taken their own lives, one a friend 2 years ago. I didn't really dwell on it too much - but when Simon died, it really hit home. He was my partner for 4 years - I knew him better than anyone. And I still couldn't stop him from leaving.

We need to be more aware of how hard life can be for some people. We need to be able to talk about suicide like we talk about other deaths. Death is a hard subject at the best of times, but I think suicide is the hardest thing to talk about, probably because it is the hardest to understand. There is always the question of : WHY. That is a question I ask constantly but won't get an answer too until I see Simon again, which I believe will happen one day :) I also believe that wherever he is now, he is happy and at peace.

I hope it doesn't upset anybody me posting about suicide - I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do or not, but this can be part of the problem - it's very taboo. I'm not ashamed of the fact that Simon was a victim of suicide. It's sad and awful, and I'm only two months into the very long grieving process for my special boy, but if we can do anything to make it easier for people that are struggling to get help, we should.

Write Wreath also have 'sock-it-to-suicide' where you wear bright socks during the 3rd week of October and donate a gold coin. I'm hoping we can do this at my workplace - they were very supportive in 'footy jumper friday' to raise funds for beyond blue earlier this year, which was great.

Thanks to everyone for your messages of support. If you feel like writing something, please do. I know words might be hard to find, but every show of love and support really helps.

2 comments:

  1. I'm very, very sorry for your loss. A friend of mine lost her brother only a few weeks ago to suicide, I passed on to her that it was White Wreath Day.

    *hugs*

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  2. I'm glad you spoke about it. I think hiding it is the worst thing people can do as there really needs to be more awareness to this issue. I lived in a country with the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world where no one would talk about the issue and where families are shamed when loved ones kill themselves. I think the more it is spoken about here, the more awareness on the affects of those left behind then the better. I am so sorry that this happened to you, I really could not imagine what I would be going through if it was my partner. Stay strong and live the life he would have wanted you to. xoxo

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