Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY

Hundreds walk on World Suicide Prevention Day in Kamloops

Sep 11, 2023 | 11:37 AM

KAMLOOPS — On Sunday (September 10), around 250 people gathered at McArthur Island Park to observe World Suicide Prevention Day 2023.

Organizers of the grassroots local event decided on a theme of ‘Creating Hope through Action’ for this year’s version of the walk.

“Nobody wants to talk about it, but so many people are affected by suicide,” Linda Bailey, one of the organizers of the walk, explains. “Whether it’s in their own personal struggle — whether they’ve had the ideation, thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts or people who have lost someone to suicide.”

Bailey knows all too well what it feels like to lose a loved one to suicide. It’s one of the reasons she decided to organize the first walk three years ago.

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“The more we reached out to the community, the more we realized how many people have had their lives touched by suicide,” Bailey tells CFJC Today. “It’s shocking, it’s sad, but that was the call to action that we needed to do this, so here we are.”

Part of the difficulty lies in the stigma that exists around suicide, according to Rebecca Sanford, who works as a counsellor, as well as in the Faculty of Social Work and Human Service at TRU.

“Generally, as a society, we don’t do a good job of talking about grief,” Sanford explains. “It’s even harder to talk about suicide grief because there is so much stigma, there’s so much misunderstanding, there’s a lot of misconceptions. Even well-intentioned friends and family don’t know what to do.”

Events like the walk — as well as support groups — serve to bring people who share a similar experience together to speak about their loss.

“It can feel really, really isolating and lonely,” Sanford says. “In my own experience, I went to a suicide loss support group about nine days after my boyfriend died by suicide, and that was truly a lifeline for me. I recognize the importance of people being able to come together with strangers, who eventually become friends because there is this shared experience of suicide loss.”

One way to combat the stigma that surrounds suicide is to talk openly about the issues that cause people to make that choice. For Bailey and the other organizers, they hope the walk does just that.

“Every life is worth living,” Bailey says. “We need that message out there, that there are supports and there are ways you can be supported if you’re in need.”

There are many resources available for folks who may be experiencing suicidal ideations or thoughts. You can reach out to Talk Suicide Canada toll-free at 1 (833) 456-4566 or send a text to 45645 to speak with someone.