LISTEN: Board Member of the North Dakota Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Barb Hanson on “The Coffee Club” with Ronnie Lee and Janae White
UNITED STATES – In 1999, then Nevada Senator Harry Reid, who lost his father to suicide, introduced a resolution in the Senate which led to the creation of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, which is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
“When we lose someone, we always grieve, but it is a unique grief. Many times we feel just so isolated. Some of that is because of the stigma of suicide and we’re trying to get rid of that,” Board Member of the North Dakota Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Barb Hanson said on WDAY Radio’s “The Coffee Club”.
The day is meant to be a time of hope and healing and to get tools to help deal with grief.
“Everybody’s grief journey is so different, but when we come together, we can hear some commonalities. We can hear some acceptance, too, of the many different feelings that we might be feeling,” Hanson said.
ISSLD events are being held across the country on Saturday, November 22 including in West Fargo, Wahpeton, Bismarck, Bloomington, St. Cloud and online.
Five members of the North Dakota Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Board are scheduled to speak at the West Fargo event which begins at 9:00 AM at the fire station on 10th Ave. East. Hanson said the board members include people who have lost a spouse, child, parent, friend and a sibling because they took their own life. A mental health professional will also be there for anyone who is having difficulties processing their grief.
A International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day event has been held in the Fargo-Moorhead area since 2005.
Click here for more information on ISSLD and to find an event near you.
