My late husband was Cherokee, but completely denied his heritage. He had said several times that “Native Americans were dead and didn’t exist anymore because they all had been killed off or stripped of their identity.”
He hated when people would ask him, “what are you?” His sarcastic response was always the same, “I’m white.” American Indians have the highest suicide rate of any racial/ethnic group in the United States according to the CDC. A couple of months before he ended his life he took me to see a Native American art exhibit with him. I remember him staring at each artifact for what seemed like hours. I wonder what was going through his head..
#postventionisprevention
#abovetherug
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After my husband ended his life I was completely devastated and felt as if I was torn into pieces that could never be put back together. How could life go on? The emotional pain he ended was unknowingly passed onto me. I knew I needed help quickly. I joined a support group called SASS (Suicide Awareness Survivor Support) who supports the ones left behind after a loved one's suicide and also helps raise mental health awareness. I will never get over my husband's death, but I now know that I can get through it, thanks to SASS. I sweep nothing under the rug. By starting an open and honest conversation I hope to help break down the stigmas and start raising mental health awareness. Together we can stay above the rug!
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