About a Life. Take Just A Moment Please.

[Hugin]

A friend of mine committed suicide last week. He was heavily involved in the stock market, and the craziness of the past few weeks wiped him and his family's finances out. He made some mistakes, and I guess he felt overwhelmed. He was smart, and young, and he could have recovered over time, but...it's not really a rational mental space when you are feeling suicidal I guess. He was a good guy, and I'll miss him. A lot of people will miss him.


Some of my friends have formed a team to walk for suicide prevention here in Boston on the 11th. I'm going to link to the donation page. (In trying to donate myself, I accidentally joined the team, I'm Len McCain). You're under no pressure to donate, I just wanted folks to know. You can donate on behalf of the team captain, or on my behalf, it doesn't matter.


http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=504&teamID=8232

32000 folks commit suicide in the US alone every year, and it just blows gaping holes in the lives of the people who knew them and loved them. If you feel moved to donate even a token amount, I thank you.

At the very least, let the people in your life know you love them. They may not know, they may have forgotten. It can be so easy to slip into feeling isolated. You think you have the luxury of time with all the people in your life, and then you get a wake up call like this.

Again, thank you.

[Marged]

God, I'm so, so sorry. Suicide is so devastating. My mother's family lost a loved one that way and I don't think it's something you ever fully recover from.

At the very least, let the people in your life know you love them. They may not know, they may have forgotten. It can be so easy to slip into feeling isolated. You think you have the luxury of time with all the people in your life, and then you get a wake up call like this.

I was recently at a funeral of a 17 year old who died of an overdose. It was probably one of the most devastating things I've ever experienced, and I still can't think about it without crying. But this is the only thing that kept running through my head - that I wanted to gather up the people I love and hold them. I think it's all you can do.

[Rward]

A friend of mine committed suicide last week. He was heavily involved in the stock market, and the craziness of the past few weeks wiped him and his family's finances out. He made some mistakes, and I guess he felt overwhelmed. He was smart, and young, and he could have recovered over time, but...it's not really a rational mental space when you are feeling suicidal I guess. He was a good guy, and I'll miss him. A lot of people will miss him.

Man, I can see that happening. You work so hard, get everything going well, think you're on the up and up and BOOM - something comes along and pulls the carpet out from underneath you.

I think quite a few people are probably in the same or similar situation, be strong and keep trucking, things will get better.

Condolences to the friends and family - keep strong.

[VegasRobb]

Sorry for your loss.

[Podunk]

Yeah, that's just awful. I'm really sorry.

[extarbags]

At the very least, let the people in your life know you love them. They may not know, they may have forgotten. It can be so easy to slip into feeling isolated. You think you have the luxury of time with all the people in your life, and then you get a wake up call like this.

Amen to that.

[Kool Moe Dee]

Sadly, the sort of situation mentioned in the original post may become more common (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081007/ap_on_re_us/bodies_found;_ylt=AuJsZLHi9z1so.mR7lLhzA_MWM0F).

An unemployed man with an advanced finance degree who was despondent over his own financial problems shot and killed his wife, three children, mother-in-law and then himself in an upscale home in a gated community, police said Monday.

Officers found the bodies Monday morning after the wife failed to show up at a neighbor's home to go to work, Deputy Chief Michel Moore said. The deaths occurred sometime after Saturday evening.


A handgun that had been bought Sept. 16 was found near the father's body, Moore said. The father left two suicide notes — one for police and one for friends and relatives — and a will.


The notes attest to the man's financial difficulties, and he takes responsibility for killing his family members, Moore said.

[Joe O'Malley]

Len, I'm sorry to hear the news. Best wishes to you and the other lives impacted by this.

[Hugin]

Just an update: Eventually we raised over 7000 dollars (over 9000 when a second team started by another circle of friends are counted in).

There was also a really well attended wake where a lot of people from all over got to meet each other and commiserate in a healing way. Hopefully moving forward some good can come out of this, in terms of some people connecting and getting help when they need it.

[Robert Sharp]

Nice job on the fund raising. I'm curious about what those funds go to support exactly. Do you know?

[malphigian]

Nice job on the fund raising. I'm curious about what those funds go to support exactly. Do you know?

Presumably whatever this organization does:
http://www.afsp.org/

Which looks like things like education programs, research grants, and support groups.