Out of the Darkness Community Walk

This past Saturday I walked.  I walked all around the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.  I walked with over 500 other people.  Together, we raised over $59,000 and 84 cents of every single one of those dollars will go to suicide prevention. 

 

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Community Walk was an amazing (yet cold and windy) experience.  From vendors to speakers, walkers had the opportunity to share with one another their stories and the stories of their loved ones. 

 

We walked for each other and we walked for those people who took their own lives.  While other people, out of love for a good cause, walked simply to support research and education opportunities in suicide prevention. 

 

At the event, there were buckets of beads in different colors.  The walkers were able to pick up and wear the beads that best represented why they were present at the event.  Personally, I took the purple, blue and green beads and wore them the entire day of the walk.  The three different colors represented the following:

 

Purple:  I have lost a relative or friend to suicide

Blue: I support suicide prevention

Green:  I struggle/struggled personally

 

For me, it was a powerful event, it was a day of healing and it created the opportunity to reflect.  As I look back on my own life, I see the four people who I know that I have lost to suicide.  On Saturday, I walked for them.  I also walked for myself and for mental health awareness. 

 

When I signed up for this walk, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy event to participate in.  I know my personal struggles with Bipolar have taken me through hell and back again.  And I also know that I am grateful to be currently stable and while yes, medicated, I am healthy. 

 

Today, I put on my high heels and I went to work just like I do every Monday through Friday.  And today, like every other day, I feel blessed.  I am grateful for where I am in my life’s journey and I am certainly glad I had the opportunity to participate in this special walk. 

 

Finally, I want to say a special Thank You to those who supported me financially, physically and emotionally on this journey.  From my monetary sponsors to friends who walked beside me (and my mom who watched my daughter while I walked), Thank You from the bottom of my heart. 

Love Note:  With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.