Being with people whose families have been affected by suicide made Beth McFarland not only mourn her nephew Jay Tee, but also reflect on the impact suicide has on so many.
The Scranton woman joined about 700 people for the inaugural Out of the Darkness Community Walk in downtown Scranton on Saturday morning. She and other family members wore T-shirts bearing the image of a smiling Jay Tee, who took his life last year.
"You think no one understands when someone in your family commits suicide and that no one could know what you are going through," she said. "You see other people that have."
The walk sponsored by the local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was planned in January, but took on renewed significance in the wake of four teen suicides in Luzerne County in recent weeks. Several participants and teams came from schools or areas that lost teenagers in those high-profile suicides.
The event helps bring both survivors and the issue of suicide out of the darkness, said Cheyenne Rozelle, a Lackawanna Trail High School senior whose father took his life 10 years ago. The way people talk about suicide is changing.
"No one wanted to talk about it or mention it," she said. "We need to be more open about suicide; schools should be talking about it and people should know what to look for."
The walk kicked off with comments from state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, who lost a family member to suicide. Later, a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."
The 3-mile route touched places in the city of significance to suicide prevention, including the University of Scranton and Lackawanna College, since suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to Kathy Wallace, an event organizer, and the Greater Northeast Pennsylvania chapter of the group.
Marchers also passed senior-citizen apartment buildings and the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, acknowledging the high rate of suicides among older people and veterans. They passed the Commonwealth Medical College, Ms. Wallace said, hoping that suicide screening becomes part of routine medical exams and checkups.
Also at the walk, attendees could put photos or name tags of loved ones on a commemorative wall. Some photos featured young people in graduation robes or parents with children in better times.
"We want to measure their lives by how they lived, not by how they died," Ms. Wallace said.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com