Support When Loss Is Unbearable

The effects of taking one’s own life ripple beyond the individual. Suicide takes an enormous toll on survivors —family, friends, co-workers and the entire community.  According to the Harvard School of Public Health suicide ranks as one of the leading causes of death in the United States among persons less than 30 years of age, with increasing numbers of deaths occurring in older Americans.

In both Kansas and Missouri, the suicide rate is nearly double that of homicides. With more than 1,000 lives lost, the importance of Suicide Awareness Survivor Support’s (SASS) mission is significant —to foster greater understanding and sensitivity dealing with the traumatic grief experienced by survivors. Our educational efforts combat the stigma and shame associated with suicide by distributing educational materials based on facts, speaking throughout the community and creating and aiding support groups for survivors.

Suicide is everyone’s business and can affect any family as suicide knows no cultural, demographic, financial or religious differences. For those of us who have lost a loved one to suicide, we often struggle with the never ending question of “Why?” The reality is that we will never really know the darkness of their despair. Making the commitment to accept things we cannot change, developing resilience, having optimism, reaching out to others, and helping someone else will help with your own personal growth.

As a part of our commitment to help survivors, SASS is holding its seventh annual Remembrance Walk and Motorcycle Ride in Kansas City’s Loose Park at 51st and Wornall on Sunday, September 12, 2010.  The walk/ride raises awareness and support for those who have lost loved ones to a traumatic death, including suicide, homicide, fire, and accident.

The walk is the major part of SASS’s fundraising.  Money raised will help fund SASS’s ongoing efforts with education, public awareness, networking, uniting survivors and initiatives designed to reduce the loss of life by suicide in addition to providing crucial support for survivors. 

This year’s event host is KCTV’s weekend anchor Matt Stewart. Registration fee is $25. Walkers are to check in beginning at 8 a.m. with the event beginning at 9 a.m. 

Participants can register online at www.sass-mokan.com or call (913) 681-3050 for additional information.

Bonnie Swade is co-founder of Suicide Awareness Survivor Support Missouri and Kansas, a non-profit support group for those affected by a suicide. Bonnie, and her husband, Mickey Swade, are current members of SASS’s Board of Directors and Speaker’s Bureau.  They lost their son, Brett, to suicide six years ago. 

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