Grieving parents determined to help others by shedding light on son’s suicide
Recognize, Connect! Frameworks Suicide Prevention Project
Chris Dorin - Golden Dome News
November 13, 2007 - The Laconia Daily Sun
CONCORD — Wayne and Marie Gagnon appear in a public service ad for suicide prevention that airs soon on WMUR, Channel 9. In it the Nashua parents recall their son, Joe, who killed himself. “We’re not hiding from this,” Wayne said in an interview. “We made that decision early on. I may not be a counselor, but I can tell people my story. Joe is with me every day. We want others to know you can survive this. They’re in a very deep black hole. They can climb out.” Their daughter Sarah Curtain organized the recent third annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk against suicide in Portsmouth. She could have kept her brother’s suicide a secret. She publicizes what happened in order to save the next person like him and the next one like her. Two hundred survivors and their close friends marched with Curtain. Her family’s message is brave — that suicide is largely preventable. But you have to break its silence. A caring neighborhood or school can ease the stigma around a person who has clinical depression. “I was ready to go public before my parents were,” Curtain said. “I’m glad they came to the first walk. Their initial interview with the media was painfully honest. It helped them move along. We’ve been at different stages in our grieving and recovery. It’s been healthy for all of us. My mom has been really active with the quilt.” The faces in the “NH Lifekeeper Quilt,” created this spring, are all smiling. Joe Gagnon glows with intelligence. He was born 6/22/1980 and died 7/7/2002. Each patch has a few words to recall a family member. His reads, “Good friend. Son. Brother. Sensitive. Lacrosse. Skiing. Mountain biking. Jeep. Music. Forever
loved and missed.” Lawmakers like Jim Pilliod, R-Belmont, a semi-retired pediatrician, saw the quilt last week at a two-hour strategy session on suicide, its under-reported scope and its causes. Pilliod said he meets teachers who feel powerless to help kids who might harm themselves. “They can see the symptoms, but they’re afraid to call the parents or even talk about it among the faculty,” Pilliod said. “They need to learn what to do.” Berlin High School principal Gary Bisson invited Brandie Orozco to speak to his kids and parents last week.
She’s on a mission called “Rachel’s Challenge.” It’s like what the Gagnon family is doing. Orozco knows about the 1999 Columbine tragedy. One of her close friends was the sister of Rachel Scott, the first victim in the 13-person massacre.
That’s in addition to the perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who killed themselves. “The presentation fits into our overall suicide prevention effort,” Bisson said. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is sponsoring a 90-minute teleconference Nov. 17, with real-time showings in Moultonborough, Littleton and Concord. Among other sites. For more information contact Becky McEnany at bmcenany@naminh.org or at 225-5359.
Original Source:
http://www.laconiadailysun.com/LaconiaPDF/2007/11/13L.pdf
