Contributed by: Dr. Larry Kubiak
On Friday, January 13, 2012 the worst event that could happen to any parent took
place in Tallahassee. Mary Bowers found her 31-year-old daughter Brooke dead
through a suicide attempt. Brooke had suffered from severe depression, mental illness, borderline personality and suicidal thoughts for over 15 years and eventually took her own life.
In such tragic events people can respond in a variety of ways. Bill and Mary Bowers
decided to use their efforts to promote awareness of the social challenges of suicide and promote mental health resources available to address this within the community. They established the Bluebird Run for Brooke in 2015 as a memorial not only to their daughter but other loved ones lost through suicide. It represents the major fundraiser for the National Alliance for Mental Illness in Tallahassee and provides an opportunity to educate the community about this important tragedy.
Each person who dies by suicide leaves 18 others behind who experience a major life
disruption. Without post-intervention, survivors are as much as nine times more likely to
complete suicide themselves. On average, one person dies by suicide every 10 days in
Leon County and twice as many people die by suicide than homicide. There are 25
attempts for every death by suicide in the United States. Only one in four survivors of
suicide seek help. As many as 25% of survivors indicate they struggle with their own
thoughts of suicide.
In their efforts to help address the mental health needs in our community, the Tallahassee Rotary was a major sponsor of the Bluebird Run and Walk for Brooke B for suicide awareness and prevention held on Labor Day, September 2 at the JR Alford Greenway. Not only did 10 members of the club participate in the run/walk but had a booth that touted the efforts to provide service to our community in addressing mental health issues as well as other major service projects.
Tallahassee Rotary hopes to partner with other Rotary clubs in the Tallahassee area as sponsors for this event in the future and encourages other clubs in the district to do likewise.
コメント