A candlelight vigil for survivors of suicide will take place at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s courtyard on Saturday.
Held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is for those who have lost someone to suicide.
“On this day, people around the world who have lost someone by suicide can join together for support and healing,” said Owensboro Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition board member Stacey Connor. “It is always the Saturday before Thanksgiving, as the holidays are often a difficult time for many.”
Connor will become the facilitator for the Survivors of Suicide Loss-Bereavement Group in 2020, and she has been assisting current facilitator, Linda Hagan, this year. She said that after an opening prayer, reading and testimony, there will be a moment of silence for lost loved ones. A bell will be rung to represent the lives lost to suicide in Daviess County this year and after, those who wish to, can share the name of loved ones being remembered.
This is the second year the Survivors of Suicide Loss-Bereavement Group has held the vigil.
“Suicide is a subject many are afraid to talk about or even acknowledge,” Connor said. “The support group offers a safe place for anyone that is struggling with a loss by suicide to come and talk through their emotions in a safe, non-judgmental environment.”
According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention website, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
“The stigma of mental health and suicide is still very prevalent in our community,” Connor said. “The feelings of shame, confusion, emptiness are all real and apart of so many lives yet no one wants to talk about it.”
Connor said that because she lost her aunt to suicide, she has become a community advocate for mental health and suicide prevention, something she never envisioned doing.
“The support group offered me a place to go and talk about my feelings and process everything with others that understood,” Connor said. “I quickly got involved with the coalition so I could help and change the stigma associated with suicide.”
Connor said that the support group is not to replace therapy; however, the facilitators are loss survivors that have been trained by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention to facilitate the group.
The group meets the second Wednesday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Logsdon Community Center. For further details, please send an email to [email protected].
The Coalition offers many services to the community focused on education to help prevent suicide. More detailed information and resources can be found on the ORSPC Facebook page or website: www.orspc.org.
The vigil begins at 6 p.m. at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s courtyard, located at 1201 Pleasant Valley Rd.
