A lifeline

A few days ago, a woman in a social media PTSD group I’m in posted about a close friend who was suicidal – their story was one of those things that really reaches into your soul and grabs you.

Long story short – her husband died in a freak recreational accident and the suicidal guy was with him and witnessed the tragedy, developed PTSD (as did she), and was now so traumatized that he felt he couldn’t keep going. I happened to be on my lunch break when her plea for help posted. I responded with the number for the National Suicide Lifeline and told her to start there – that they would be able to connect her with local organizations that could help her friend (thank you, Dr. Campbell, for responding to my urgent text).

Fortunately, the woman continued to provide me with updates for several days following our initial exchange. She called the number and they immediately dispatched a mobile crisis unit to her home – which I found out later was in a very out of the way place that could only be reached by boat. How amazing is that? With her help, they made contact with her friend and got him into emergency counseling. This woman couldn’t say enough positive things about her experience calling the National Suicide Lifeline to help her friend.

When I woke up that morning, I had no idea that I might play a small part in helping someone save a life. Please share this post. You never know who you might help.

Also, it’s time to learn all you can about suicide prevention. Seriously folks, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website, linked below.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

All of today’s photos come from a 2012 visit to Monet’s gardens at Giverny. I always loved his artwork, but it was here that I understood why he painted the way he does.