Suicide
Getting the help that many feel they need.
To many of my friends, I have become known as "The Guardian Angel". Maybe nine of them I have saved from committing suicide, one of which is my current boyfriend.
I can only speak for myself, who is one of many prisoners to depression, that talking to someone and getting help really is the best thing you can do for yourself. Many think that talking to a trusted adult or friend won't help anything, and that it will only worsen their depression. Others think that there is no way to get help.
Recently, at a school assembly, the mother of Michael Emme and two other parents talked about how they had lost their sons to suicide. At the assembly, Mrs. Emme reached out to many depressed teens who thought suicide was the only way out of their never-ending pain. While she presented her slide show of pictures of Michael to 1,300 plus students in the auditorium, my friends and I sat there, holding hands, tears streaming down our faces, comforting each other. We sat there, remembering the times when we had almost ended up like Michael and trying to relate to the pain Mrs. Emme must have felt, grieving a child's loss-- a child we didn't even know. She wanted to share her story to help stop other young people from taking their lives like her son. She wanted to stress the fact that there is help out there and that people will be eager to listen and help you. Her words changed my life. She didn't give very much of a speech, but it was enough to touch lives and to open hearts. I sat there, only 20 feet away from a grieving mother, who had lost a child not much older than I, crying, my heart breaking for this woman.
At the end of the assembly, she personally passed out more than 1,000 cards to each student. On that card was two different suicide prevention hotlines, links to the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program that was started by Michael Emme's friends in memory of his passing, and these three bullets of information:
Stay with the person-- you are their lifeline!
Listen, really listen. Take them seriously!
Get or call help immediately!
As I walked out of the auditorium to continue my geometry homework, I stopped to talk to Mrs. Emme. She was putting away her laptop with the room nearly cleared out when I reached her. I thanked her for speaking out against suicide and for sharing her son's story. I still had tears in my eyes and when she turned to look at me, her eyes welled up with tears. The warning bell had rung, so I knew I had to leave her with my thanks, a simple handshake, and my sincerest condolences.
I hurried up to catch up with my friends, my heart touched, and my life changed. To this day, I remember my Yellow Ribbon card and carry it with me. I continue to save the lives of those I love and to battle through my own depression. I share Michael Emme's story with each of those people, reminding them that they have everything to live for. I tell them that it's okay to talk and if no one else will listen to them, I will. If you happen to be someone who needs help or just wants to talk, you may message me and I will be more than happy to listen and get you help if you want it.
The numbers for the suicide prevention hotlines and the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program are as follows:
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
1-303-429-3530
X2_CUTE _2_BE_UX Community Member 
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