First, THANK YOU to everyone who has already donated! You are angels!

9-25-2013 UPDATE:  Only $225 to go! 

I am $505 away from the $2300 I need to raise for the walk and I could use your help.

This is my 9th year walking.  The 9th year that i have pushed myself beyond what I thought I was capable of physically, mentally and emotionally. 9 years that I have given my all in support of the women and men who have breast cancer and to try and help prevent more from getting it.

I am sure that some of you will have reservations about donating to this cause. I will be perfectly honest and transparent that based on recent events, I have some reservations also. But this is a commitment I made long before the questions arose.   It also does not change the fact that there are people struggling with this disease and your donation can help make that struggle easier.  It can be the little extra needed for research to prevent this terrible disease.  It can the little bit that makes a difference in someone’s life.

I have said this many times, but it is no less true now.  Other than having had my children, this walk, these 3 days, these 60 miles are the most rewarding thing that I have ever done. All 9 times. I walk in memory of my mother and other wonderful women that I have lost.  I walk in celebration of the survivors.  I walk in solidarity with all the women facing the prospect of possibly having this disease.  I walk so that my nieces and the young women that I love may never have to face the prospect of dealing with breast cancer.

I walk because I can not walk way.

So please, I am asking for your help to reach my goal. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

Gloria

Suicide…

something not easy to talk about, but it is in being silent that we lose our ability to prevent it.

This is a post about my experience, but more so about something even more important – How we can help others who feel hopeless and helpless.  So, please bear with me while I tell my story.  Then I promise to get to the part where I tell you how YOU can make a difference.

I have struggled with depression since I was a teenager.  Maybe even before that.  There have been many times throughout my life that I felt hopeless.  That it felt like there was little in life to live for. When just functioning normally through the day was a struggle that seemed too heavy a burden.

I have always been fortunate to have wonderful people in my life who were able to pull me through those moments.  Often without even realizing that was what they were doing.  They were just there, loving me, caring for me, taking care of me.  Then there came the day (well, night actually) when even the people who cared about me didn’t matter.  Yes, that is a harsh statement but it is true. I had hit rock bottom.  The point where the pain of being me even outweighed how much I loved the people in my life.  The night I decided I could not wake up even one more time.   I said my goodbyes… sending emails to treasured friends asking them to please take care of each other and my children…and I took an action intended to put me to sleep and not let me wake.  Fortunately, it did not work.  Friends rescued me and made sure I got the help I needed.  That moment changed my life for the better.  It gave me a new perspective.  Does this mean I don’t still have down moments? No.  It just means that I know how important having someone to talk to, someone to get you through those crucial moments can be.

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center and IMAlive.org provide just that.  IMAlive volunteers have talked several thousand hopeless people off the proverbial ledge by supporting them through their most desperate moments.   The online crisis chat is currently available most hours of the day but to be truly effective, they need to be available all hours of the day and night.

On September 10th, National Suicide Prevention Day, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center is hosting the first IMAlive 24-7 Giving Day.  People across the country are raising $50,000 to fund 24-7 service of the IMAlive.org online crisis chat.

How can you help?  Donate.  Fundraise. Spread the word. Form a team and compete in the fundraising challenge.  All of the above!  Check the link for more information on how you can make a difference.

Help IMAlive.org save lives.  Help them be there to help someone through that hopeless moment of terror.