For most of my life, silence felt like the only option. Fifty-seven years ago, my world changed in a way that no child, or anyone, should ever have to experience. In a single, violent moment, I was exposed to a trauma so profound that it shaped the course of my life in ways I did not fully understand for decades. I carried that moment with me, quietly, invisibly, as I moved through the years.

There is a strong cultural impulse to explain suicide in simple terms. When something so devastating happens, people reach for clarity; one cause, one turning point, one person or moment that “led to it.” It’s understandable. Simplicity feels safer than uncertainty. But suicide is rarely, if ever, simple. Reducing it to a single cause not only misrepresents reality; it can also obscure the deeper, more uncomfortable truths that deserve attention.

Suicide changes the trajectory of every life it touches. For me, it was the defining moment of my childhood and something that has followed me for more than five decades. My brother, Richard Dale Sanders, was born on October 29, 1951. He died by suicide on August 18, 1968. He was sixteen years old. I was twelve.

Supporting someone after the loss of a loved one is never simple. When the death is by suicide, the path can be much more complicated. Many people worry about saying the wrong thing, making the pain worse, or not knowing how to respond with words or actions. The truth is, you don’t need perfect words. You need presence, patience, and compassion.

Trigger Warning: This post discusses suicide and its emotional impact. If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please reach out for immediate help.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. These events may include exposure to combat, sexual or physical assaults, serious accidents, or other life-threatening experiences.

First and Lasting Reaction. Blame frequently emerges in conversations about suicide. It’s easy to assign, but difficult to let go. People often blame others or themselves for actions or words leading up to a suicide, bringing anger and sadness that hinder finding peace after such a loss.

This blog contains the coroner’s report from my brother’s suicide just as it was written, word for word with no additions, deletions or spelling/grammar corrections. The only difference is that I broke it into sections. This report can also be found in my book, Bonded a Brother’s Love.

My world has changed significantly since I made the decision to actively get involved as a suicide prevention advocate. I had no plan to get into suicide awareness as a way of life. And it did not start gradually. It jumped into my life.

Fourth in the series “Mistakes” Blog. I’m going to pick up where we left off going into Chapter 19, “We, Were An Elite Soldier”. But as I get back into it, I want to remind everyone again that the mistakes don’t come with blame.There was plenty of blame to go around, some of it was unfounded, but I didn’t care. I had to find someone to blame, this all couldn’t be Richard’s fault, he was just a boy.

Third in the series “Mistakes” Blog. I’m going to pick up where we left off going into Chapter 12, We Just Stopped Going. But as I get back into it, I want to remind everyone that the mistakes don’t come with blame. In the beginning I blamed everyone for my brother’s suicide, including myself. At one point I was blaming people I didn’t even know and had never met.

I want to remind everyone that the mistakes don’t come with blame. In the beginning I blamed everyone for my brother’s suicide, including myself. At one point I was blaming people I didn’t even know and had never met. Just someone that I had heard made a derogatory comment about my brother after he died. There was plenty of blame to go around and it was eating me up. But the blame has ceased and has turned into a recognition of mistakes that were made.

I was lying in bed this morning, unable to sleep any longer. My thoughts kept returning to how to share this book in a way that truly reaches the people it’s meant for. Social media feels like the most realistic path, but it’s also a crowded, fast-moving space. If something doesn’t connect almost immediately, it’s easy for it to be passed by.

What should you do if you suspect someone you know is considering suicide? Without a doubt you should address it with them. There have been a great number of studies done showing that asking someone if they are thinking about suicide will not put the idea into their head. If you don’t have a comfortable way to start that conversation just start with a simple question, “Are you or have you considered harming yourself?”   Trust your gut, you will have noticed a change that mad

Christmas 2025 is just one day behind us, and we are waking up to a new beginning, welcoming in the new year in less than a week from now. Just because Christmas is behind us does not mean that the joy of giving should be behind us.

DEFINITION The act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with ending one’s own life: the act of considering or planning suicide. The first known use of the two-word phrase was in 1949. I must be one of the lucky ones, the phrase to describe my life was not even twenty years old when it burst into my life as a daily reminder.

What do the holidays mean to people with PTSD? Well, first let me say this: these are my experiences and feelings during the holiday season. I’m not a counselor, and everyone with PTSD feels things differently. But for the most part the people I associate with that have PTSD have similar feelings.

The What, When, and Why have shaped so many of my days, sometimes without me realizing it. They’ve slowed my steps, clouded my choices, and pushed me into corners I never meant to stand in. I don't pretend these questions will ever fully disappear. They rise, they fade, and they come back again, just like memories do.

I’ve really been wrestling with a blog for this week. Over the past few months, I have joined four different Facebook awareness groups in an effort to have our message reach more people. There are over 135,000 within just those four groups, and one of the most difficult realities of being a member is seeing all of the new names and faces that become members every week. Not the ones that have been wrestling with suicide in some form or another for months or years, but for the

Let me first tell you that I have found the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to be one of the most active sources for guidance and help in almost every form both in prevention awareness and in post suicide recovery. They have 74 Chapters across the United States and are located in all 50 states. The easiest way to find your local chapter is through their website at afsp.org . They provide education and community programs, support for survivors of suicide loss, and