This will be my 2nd time participating in Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk. This is an event where participants from all over the country join together to walk over 16 miles over the course of one night to benefit the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.

I'm walking, because this topic hits home for me. My baby sister, Caity, is a suicide survivor. 

Getting that phone call, the panic, hearing what happened, the aftermath, but also the relief that she's still here, that she's okay. 

*breathe*

We named our team "I Promise Tomorrow", this is a mantra my sister repeated to get her through the bad days. It was a promise to herself, that she would see tomorrow, and she has continued to see tomorrow. We are so grateful to have her here in our lives, because we know that isn't the same fate of so many others. 

• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the US
• In 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide (132 per day)
• In 2021, there were an estimated 1.70M suicide attempts

I walk for her, I walk for me, and I walk for every one struggling that feels alone. 

2019 Boston Walk

In 2019, we did our first walk, and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can tell you it was so much more than I imagined it would be. For me it was: healing, therapeutic, it made me feel less alone. The topic of suicide is not an easy conversation, but in doing the fundraising and walk, I learned it's impacting more people that I even thought. Co-workers, friends, family, new people I had just met, were opening up and telling me their personal connections and stories. 

I wish we didn't all have these stories. 

Suicide is impacting so many people, but there's still the stigma, there's still a lack of resources. We need to do better to address Mental Illness, and have a open honest discussions. Maybe with more awareness we can save even just 1 life.

Net proceeds will help those affected by suicide and mental health conditions by supporting research, advocacy, survivor resources, education, and awareness programs. AFSP has set a bold goal to reduce the suicide rate 20% by the year 2025, and I'm proud to be part of that mission.