fbpx

An 11-year-old writes a letter after her father’s suicide

To Suicide

You have torn my family apart
Leaving all with broken hearts
Our hearts still missing pieces and parts.
Tears flows as days go by

I still don’t understand why
I really try not to be sad
I am still feeling bad inside.

This poem was written by an 11-year-old girl who lost her father to suicide. Sara Gaer, a suicide prevention advocate who focuses on first responders and preventing men’s suicide, shared this with me and it’s posted with permission from the 11-year-old’s mother.

Please stop, listen to that gut feeling that something doesn’t sound right. Then ask the question, “Are you thinking of suicide?” Think about families who have lost someone to suicide. Be there six months later, a year later, two years later.

Your best asset for preventing suicide? Your ears. Listening with empathy and without judgement is the most important thing you can do.

To those who think, ‘I’m not qualified to talk to someone who is suicidal’

Published by

Anne Moss Rogers

I am an emotionally naked mental health speaker, and author of the Book, Diary of a Broken Mind and co-author with Kim O'Brien PhD, LICSW of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk. I raised two boys, Richard and Charles, and lost my younger son, Charles to addiction and suicide on June 5, 2015. I help people foster a culture of connection to prevent suicide, reduce substance misuse and find life after loss. My motivational mental health keynotes, training and workshop topics include suicide prevention, addiction, mental illness, anxiety, coping strategies/resilience, and grief. As talented and funny as Charles was, letting other people know they matter was his greatest gift. And now the legacy I try and carry forward in my son's memory. Mental Health Speakers Website. Trained in ASIST and trainer for the evidence-based 4-hour training for everyone called safeTALK.

7 thoughts on “An 11-year-old writes a letter after her father’s suicide”

  1. Thank you for your kind words. My daughter wrote this poem and blindsided me by her compassionate understanding and empathy surrounding the situation at such a young age. I was particularly
    struck by her lack of “assigning “blame to anything other than the act itself. She was not made aware of the circumstances surrounding my husband’s death until recently and I could not be more proud of her response. She has chosen to turn her pain and sadness into a vehicle of positive self expression with the hope of helping other children who may be hurting and affected by such a tragic loss.

    Reply

    1. It’s just an incredible how she articulated her feelings in this poem. I’m so honored to share it and I hope you will share this post. It deserves attention. I know you must be very proud of her. And it is remarkable how she doesn’t blame her dad for being ill but like you said, the disease itself.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share via
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Mix
Email
Print
Copy Link
Powered by Social Snap
Copy link
CopyCopied
Powered by Social Snap