Two high-profile incidents in the past two days have once again rocked our nation.
On Wednesday, a Virginia television reporter and cameraman were shot and killed during a live interview. Most have seen the footage of the interview or the video taken by the gunman, and to describe it as shocking is an understatement.
On Thursday morning, a suicidal freshman at Mississippi State University threatened to hurt others and kill himself. He was taken into custody and no shots were fired, but the incident still alarmed students; parents; and residents in the area.
Both situations involved a person willing to kill; however, they ended differently. A common denominator was that both the killer in Virginia and the MSU student were suicidal. The Virginia gunman succeeded in his suicide, and the freshman was arrested and saved from suicide.
Suicidal threats come too often and are far too often looked over. If you can’t imagine killing yourself, then you cannot empathize with these people. But if someone threatens to take his or her own life, take action. Those sorts of messages should not be pushed to the back of your mind.
Troy Regional Medical Center, in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will be hosting an Out of The Darkness Walk on Sept. 13. The walk will not only provide awareness and information about prevention of suicide, but it is an opportunity to families to heal and remember loved ones they have lost to suicide.
Similar to Relay for Life, the Out of The Darkness walk provides the opportunity to form teams or walk individually to help raise funds. The fundraising goal for the walk is $5,000.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America and the third cause of death for those ages 15 to 24. While this is an outrageous number, statistics can be changed.
Let’s work to change that number. Together, as a community, we can come together to fight the evil of suicide and stop it from taking so many of our loved ones.
The Out of The Darkness Walk will be Sept. 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. with registration beginning at 2 p.m. The walk will be held at the Troy University track.
Anyone considering suicide is urged to contact the TRMC emergency room or the national suicide hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.