My dad died by suicide three months before I was born.
Sometimes people think that it’s sort of good that I didn’t know my dad, that maybe it isn’t quite so hard for me since I never knew him -- and maybe that’s a little bit true. I still miss having a dad and I feel sad that I didn’t get to know mine. I know that he loved me and my brother and mom. We talk about him whenever we want.
When someone asks me how my dad died, I tell them that he had an illness in his brain that made him feel so sad all the time and that he didn’t think anyone or anything could help him.
I think my dad would be proud of us for speaking out about the problem of mental illnesses, like his, that sometimes cause people to end their lives. I hope that someday everyone will know and understand that there is help and maybe someday no one will die by suicide.
July 14, 2002 - Lincoln Memorial - Washington DC