By Sherri Blevins
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. The SAM Foundation has asked community members to step up to help raise funds for the SAM Foundation to continue spreading knowledge on suicide and ways to intervene when someone is in a crisis.
Shelly Sartain has stepped up to answer that call. She is organizing a Hope and Remembrance Suicide Awareness Walk in Fort Payne on Sunday, September 25, at 2:00 pm at the Alabama Walking Park. Final registration and T-shirt pick up will be at 1:00 pm. To register for the walk, visit https://samfound.org/.
Sartain expressed her reasons for organizing the walk. She wrote, “I lost my beautiful nephew Blaine Smith who graduated from Fort Payne High School in 2018, to suicide on January 4, 2020. “Blaine was one of the sweetest, most loving young men that you could ever know. He had a smile that could light up any room and the most infectious laugh. To know Blaine was to love him; Blaine stole my heart the day he was born. The day we lost him, I lost a piece of my heart. When saying my goodbyes, I kissed him on the forehead and made a promise to him that I was going to do something to honor his memory and make sure his death was not in vain. Suicide is one of the most painful tragedies a family can go through. There are so many unanswered questions and a stigma that is attached to a death by suicide. People have an image of what suicide looks like, but I am here to tell you that in our family, suicide looked like a smiling, laughing, comical, and happy young man. My wish is that we please stop labeling mental health as a shameful disease and/or disorder.”
The Sam Foundation website lists the warning signs of a person potentially considering suicide. They fall under three categories, words, behaviors, and emotions.
A person may use the following words while communicating suicidal thoughts: killing themselves, feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden to others, feeling trapped, or experiencing unbearable pain.
Behavior warning signs include withdrawing from activities; isolating from family and friends, increased use of alcohol or drugs; looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods; sleeping too much or too little; visiting or calling people to say goodbye; giving away prized possessions; aggression; and fatigue.
Emotions that cause concern include depression, anxiety, loss of interest, irritability, humiliation or shame, agitation or anger, and relief or sudden improvement.
If you are in emotional distress or have a suicidal crisis, call the Suicide Hotline at 988. If you believe someone else is in danger of suicide and you have their contact information, contact your local law enforcement for immediate help. You can also encourage the person to contact a suicide prevention hotline using 988.