Why Suicide Prevention Matters to Ada
I have been affected by suicide all my life. Thanks to you, SpeakUp ReachOut is helping me heal in so many ways.
I grew up without my father. When I was small, I was told he had died in a hunting accident. My family didn’t talk about it at all. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I learned a different version of how my father died.
A friend at school told me she had heard my mom say she had been personally impacted by suicide. When I asked my mom about this, she told me that it was my dad who died by suicide. This was a huge shock. She explained she didn’t want me to have to deal with all the pain, so she made up a different story. I was very angry for a long time. We still didn’t talk about it. It was shameful. Then I just pushed it all aside for many years.
After I moved to Eagle County as an adult, I had a few friends who died by suicide. The grief was tremendous.
Through those losses, I realized I had not dealt with the pain of my father’s death. All these feelings and questions came flooding back. “What did it say about me that my parent had died that way? Was this a reflection on me as a child? What did it say about the mental stability of my family?”
I realized I had a lot of work to do to process all the pain I had stored inside. Dealing with abandonment. Feeling like a victim. Why didn’t I get to grow up with a father?
A friend inspired me to connect with SpeakUp ReachOut. Because of your past support of SpeakUp ReachOut, I learned I am not alone. Thanks to you, the resources I needed were available.
I have learned so much from attending suicide prevention trainings and events. There I met other people like me who were willing to share their painful stories. It’s so healing and empowering for all of us. Together, there is hope.
Like you, I realized I could be part of the solution. By supporting SpeakUp ReachOut, now I help people who are dealing with the impact and stigma that death by suicide has had on their life.
Will you join me in making a year-end gift to SpeakUp ReachOut to expand suicide prevention trainings? Your gift will be matched 1:1 up to $12,000 through December 7, Colorado Gives Day. By working together, we can prevent suicide.
With gratitude,
Ada Borg
SpeakUp ReachOut Board Member
COO, Colorado Mountain Medical