Suicide impacts loved ones left behind
Joshua and Devon Rock knelt down in front of a pair of slide-on sandals placed on the ledge of the fountain at Diamond Park Wednesday evening.
There were 24 pairs of shoes set up at the fountain, representing the 24 people who died by suicide in 2020 in Butler County.
The couple lost their high-school-age son to suicide last year, and it was only recently that they found out about the Butler County Suicide Coalition.
“It's a great opportunity for us all to be here,” Devon said.
“For us, it took us so long to even know there was help,” Joshua said.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the Butler County Suicide Coalition always hosts a rally during the first full week of the month to remember the victims of suicide.
About 40 people gathered at Diamond Park for the rally, where people shared stories of how suicide has impacted their lives, which punctuated the evening with tears.But Amy Cirelli, mental health specialist with Butler County Human Services, said it was meant to provide comfort to survivors of suicide and inform people of available resources.“Hopefully people can come and find some comfort and healing,” Cirelli said. “Part of it is to just get out awareness and put out a message of hope.”The coalition, human services and the Center for Community Resources all provide mental health help and support. Cirelli said they continued services throughout the pandemic, when isolation and uncertainty affected mental health on a wide scale.
“It was a really hard year, and there was some concern on how that would impact numbers,” Cirelli said. “A lot of organizations modified services to be able to work remotely to keep helping people.”Cirelli said there were actually fewer suicides last year than in 2019, but the mission of the organizations continued.Betty Walker, a worker with the Center for Community Resources, spoke at the rally about her own struggle against suicide she went through after a divorce. She said while she was struggling with sadness and grief, small instances of joy are what kept her alive.“Don't ever tell someone to just get over it,” Walker said. “It's a smile on your face; it's the reached-out hand that you can give somebody that is going to bring them along. And I thank God for everybody who had the patience to reach out to this fool and bring me to where I am at today.”As Walker spoke, the clouds that presided over the city sprinkled a bit of rain before giving way to sunny skies.“This isn't rain; this is tears from heaven for the people we lost,” Walker said.
Sarah Edwards, of Butler, also spoke about the suicide of a close loved one, and how she didn't understand what the victim was going through until after her death.“I never thought she would take her own life,” Edwards said. “I was hurt that I didn't know the gravity of her situation, and that I didn't understand the extent of her mental illness.”Edwards encouraged the people in attendance to reach out to loved ones whenever possible. They could be facing an internal struggle.“It has been five years and one month now, and I still think about her every day,” Edwards said. “Although I couldn't save my friend, I do hope I can help others in some way.”Following the speeches, Katie Doerr, director of crisis intervention programs at the Center for Community Resources, gave out pens and paper for people to write messages on a canvas.Devon and Joshua Rock said their mission now, too, is to help others impacted by suicide, starting first with friends of their late son.“We want to try to bring some positivity to others,” Joshua Rock said. “People need to know more about what is out there.”
