My Suicide Survivor Story
Update: We have raised $550 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention so far! Thank you for donating! Donations are accepted until the end of 2015 and are fully tax-deductible.
Friends,
I will be walking in the NYC Out of the Darkness walk today in memoriam of my mother, Yuh Ying Peng. I walk in honor of her life and to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health services.
My mother ended her own life on April 1st, 2010. This is not a bad April Fool’s joke, although I often wish it was. I have been grappling with this trauma for five years, since I was sixteen years old. It influences every aspect of my life and I miss her constantly. I have had to be strong. I have had to hide this important part of my experience.
I am tired of being strong and hiding. Suriving a loved one’s suicide is not something you “get over.” I want everyone to know that surviving can mean vulnerability and openness. I want that this should never happen again to anyone else.
My mother made a choice in 2010 that I hope none of you or your loved ones ever consider. I walk today in the hopes that my story helps someone see that people love you and things will be okay — you can get help. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem and it deeply affects your loved ones, for the rest of their lives. All problems are either fixable or you learn and grow from them. My experience as a suicide survivor has taught me that we can fix everything, even if insufficiently, except death.
In the face of trauma, I’ve become someone who cultivates inclusive and supportive communities around me. I believe we need to take care of each other and be kind. I also know firsthand that the world can be effin’ rough. The families we create for ourselves are what support us at the end of the day. I hope my efforts have not been in vain.
I would appreciate any donation you could give to AFSP in honor of my mother, to prevent suicide from shattering other lives.
Thank you!
Please consider donating to the ASFP in honor of my mom http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=889439
