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Suicide Awareness & Prevention Advocate**

  • Writer: David "Joe" Sanders
    David "Joe" Sanders
  • Nov 7
  • 4 min read

David "Joe" Sanders What a way to spend the last years of my life. I have been facing retirement for at least the last five years, and I am the kind of person that really needs to make a difference in the work that I do. I have dreaded the aspect of not having a meaningful purpose to get up each day.

What a way to spend the last years of my life. I have been facing retirement for at least the last five years, and I am the kind of person that really needs to make a difference in the work that I do. I have dreaded the aspect of not having a meaningful purpose to get up each day.                                                                                                                                                                       Releasing my recent book for publishing, and learning, at the very same time, that both my son and my younger sister had just lost close friends to suicide, felt like a calling from God.


It gave me the clarity and purpose I needed to move forward with retirement, and a new mission: to help save a life… and then as many lives as I possibly can, one at a time.

What does being an Advocate of Suicide Prevention Mean to me?

I personally am willing to go anywhere at any time to be there for someone contemplating suicide. I will use written words or meet face to face to show any individual that suicide is the wrong choice for them and their family. I don’t say these things for praise or attention.I’m actively taking professional courses to ensure I don’t say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. I’m not focused on always saying the “right ” thing. I don’t rehearse a plan or follow a script. Instead, I approach each encounter as a unique moment, responding with honest, heartfelt emotion born from real experience.


Cost and Reward. There will never be a cost to anyone that I may interact with. If there is any value to what I have to offer, it has already been paid with my brother’s suicide and the fifty-seven years of grief that followed it. As far as reward, my reward comes every night when I lay down and know that I have done everything within my power to make a positive difference in someone’s life. I have also thought that our God will be giving me the best reward possible, but I am confident that will be there for me anyway, when the time is right.

Cost and Reward.

There will never be a cost to anyone that I may interact with. If there is any value to what I have to offer, it has already been paid with my brother’s suicide and the fifty-seven years of grief that followed it. As far as reward, my reward comes every night when I lay down and know that I have done everything within my power to make a positive difference in someone’s life. I have also thought that our God will be giving me the best reward possible, but I am confident that will be there for me anyway, when the time is right.


Collaboration is the most important item in being an advocate for anything. The old saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” is truly evident in everything we try to do that involves more than your own personal space. If you want to make a difference in other’s lives, you need a support team. My team started with a fantastic crisis counselor, expanded with a great editor and computer content creators and now through a lot of effort involves many organizations that not only provide guidance, but also literature and other material assistance.

Collaboration

Collaboration is the most important item in being an advocate for anything. The old saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” is truly evident in everything we try to do that involves more than your own personal space. If you want to make a difference in other’s lives, you need a support team. My team started with a fantastic crisis counselor, expanded with a great editor and computer content creators and now through a lot of effort involves many organizations that not only provide guidance, but also literature and other material assistance.

 

**Reach out to me at any time.  I am not only willing, but I also look forward to taking a share of your pain. Email: David@bondedabrotherslove.com. You will get a caring same day response. Nothing scripted.    You are not alone, and you matter.

Commitment

Another important part of doing anything well is taking action. Get up in the morning—don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Even after you’ve made enough noise to let others know you’re coming, you still have to stay alert and constantly look for ways to reach your intended audience. My commitment to reducing suicides requires both time and financial investment. This will never be a paid position for me. Instead, I carefully manage my resources, with the growing satisfaction that it’s the most meaningful money I have ever spent.


Satisfaction

What brings about the ultimate satisfaction for my effort? One life saved, one life brought down on the right side of the fence. I have spent over fifty years as a victim of suicide. And for over fifty years I have just accepted the impact it had on my life, without any effort to fight back. Now, I feel that ultimate fulfillment coming with every bit of effort I put into making a difference. Right now, my satisfaction is just knowing in my heart that I am doing everything I can to reach out to the right person, that is needing someone to lean on. 


Lean On Me

Lean on me, when you’re not strong, I’ll be there for you, I’ll help you carry on. Sometimes in our lives we will all face sorrow, we all need encouragement to help us reach tomorrow.

Not trying to steal the song word for word, just trying to convey the message, it’s okay, lean on me.

Right now, I can take some of that sorrow off your plate. Right now, you may very well be the most important person in my life.

 

**Reach out to me at any time. 

I am not only willing, but I also look forward to taking a share of your pain. Email: David@bondedabrotherslove.com. You will get a caring same day response.


Nothing scripted.   

You are not alone, and you matter.

Immediate assistance is available: National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline   📞 988 Veterans Crisis Line   📞 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) | 📱 Text 838255 Survivor Support / Crisis Group   🌐 https:/www.crisishotline.org   📞 832-416-1177

If You’re Struggling

If you or someone you love or know is in a dark place, please know you’re not alone and there is help available. Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. There are people ready to listen, ready to walk with you, and ready to help.



Immediate assistance is available:


National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  

📞 988


Veterans Crisis Line  

📞 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) | 📱 Text 838255


Survivor Support / Crisis Group  

🌐 https://www.crisishotline.org  📞 832-416-1177

 


💡 If you know someone who needs to hear that they are not alone, share this story. Together, we can create echoes of hope that outlast the pain.


Bonded: A Brother’s Love — One Bullet. A Thousand Echoes.This book is more than my story. It is a voice for every family devastated by suicide and a lifeline for those standing at the edge of despair. My hope is that it reaches the one who needs it most. If even one person chooses life because of it, then every tear and every word will have been worth it. 📖 Order your copy today : https://tinyurl.com/3h87mjy6 and join me in breaking the silence. Together we can spread hope, honor the lost, and change the future.

For more than five decades, I carried this story in silence. Silence nearly broke me, but telling it is what keeps hope alive.


Bonded: A Brother’s Love : One Bullet. A Thousand Echoes my hope is that it offers understanding, connection, and even a reason to hold on when life feels unbearable.



📖 Order your copy today and join me in breaking the silence. Together we can spread hope, honor the lost, and change the future.


For more than five decades, I carried this story in silence. Silence nearly broke me, but telling it is what keeps hope alive. Bonded: A Brother’s Love : One Bullet. A Thousand Echoes my hope is that it offers understanding, connection, and even a reason to hold on when life feels unbearable. 📖 Order your copy today and join me in breaking the silence. Together we can spread hope, honor the lost, and change the future.

 
 
 

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