On the evening of September 10th, I walked for suicide prevention as the sunset at Gilchrist park, Punta Gorda.

I was given the above-piece of paper to pin on my shirt and to write “WHO” I was walking for? “I AM WALKING FOR”…many walked for loved ones that had lost their battles/lives to mental illness. Others walked to support family and/or friends. I wrote I walk for: me.

No, not as a joke for Mental Health Humor, but as a serious statement of a living/breathing participant and for all my peers who sadly couldn’t walk for themselves. I did not expect anyone to notice or say anything to me about writing walking for “ME.”

One woman, who was walking for suicide prevention, came up to commend me for personally walking for my “mental health.” We talked for a bit. Her amazing story was so empowering. I asked if she would say a few words on video for my readers…What she said next are the most powerful words you should never forget if you live with a mental health disorder.

Here is what she said:



You are not alone, say it now: say it again, “You’re Not alone!”

Words that, at the right time, can save a life! Something we should write down and repeat daily to remind us. These simple words of hope can hold so much power…Yes, if the words are coming from the right source, from the right person and at the right time.