THUNDER BAY - After losing a loved one to suicide, friends and family are often left in a very dark place. For people who have lived through such a tragedy it is important to help each other step out of that darkness by letting people know they are not alone and also help those out of the dark place that could lead to making a tragic decision.
On Sunday, more than 100 people gathered at Confederation College for the 8thAnnual Out of the Darkness Walk to create awareness about suicide prevention and remember those who have been lost.
Margaret Hajdinjak founded the walk eight years ago after her son Steven took his life in 2005. The purpose of the walk is to let other people who have experienced a similar tragedy to know they are not alone.
“I went to New York City because I heard they were holding a walk there,” Hajdinjak said “I went myself, and at the end of the walk, I did not feel alone. That’s what I wanted to bring back here. So people will not feel alone after losing someone to suicide.”
The walk includes a memorial wall commemorating those who have been lost and Hajdinjak said it is good to provide an outlet for people to talk about how they feel, because grief, as it relates to suicide, can be difficult to talk about.
“If you haven’t lost someone to suicide, you don’t know how I feel,” she said. “If my son had died in a car accident, it would have been different but when you add suicide to it, it’s all that guilt, it’s all that: why didn’t see this, why wasn’t I aware, what did I do wrong. But it’s not our fault and you have to come to terms that it is not our fault.”
But the Out of the Darkness Walk is also meant to provide people who may be struggling with depression or a mental illness to know that they are not alone either and that there are ways to get help.
“It helps to erase the stigma around depression so if people are feeling depressed to know that it is okay to go out and ask for help,” Hajdinjak said. “That is a big step. It’s making people okay to talk about suicide.
“It just shows you how many people are really struggling with that and don’t know any other way out,” Hajdinjak continued. “Hopefully, this walk helps raise awareness that there are other ways.”
In the eight years since the walk first began, Hajdinjak said there have been many strides forward in talking about mental health and raising awareness about suicide.
But the conversation needs to continue because talking about it not only helps those who have lost someone know they are not alone, but could also help save a life and spare someone from being caught in the darkness.
“I think it’s really powerful because when you lose someone to suicide people are afraid to approach you or ask how you’re doing,” Hajdinjak said. “This way it empowers people.”
