by Andrew Kiser
When Amanda Baker’s 17-year-old son took his life, she didn’t know who to talk to, even less who to turn to.
Baker and her husband believed nobody wanted to talk about their son. They also “felt like aliens from another planet.”
However, Baker and her husband found a support group, Heartbeat, that helps the survivors of suicide loss. The group holds a meeting once a month with the goal to provide comfort and understanding to the survivors.
“We want people to know that if they have questions or problems or if they need someone to talk to, that is what we are here for,” Baker, who has been with Heartbeat for the past 10 years, said.
After 10 years, Baker still does not the reason why her son took his life but realizes she will never truly understand.
“We would love to know the reason why,” Baker said. “Nobody ever really knows why. You can sit and guess, but even if they leave a note you still really don’t know why.
On Saturday, Nov. 19, Heartbeat will host International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. The event will be held on the 5th floor of St. Mary’s Hospital.
The program begins at 10 a.m. with registration check-in. Then at 11 a.m., Heartbeat will show the documentary, “Life Journeys.” The documentary is about the journey of a suicide loss survivor over time and to teach people how to deal with the grief after a suicide loss.
After a free lunch provided by St. Mary’s, the program will then have a small group discussion at 1 p.m. The day will end with a candle lighting memorial ceremony at 2 p.m.
Baker said there are over 60 people already registered for the program, which is a record-high number for the history of the program in Grand Junction.
The rise in participants this year comes from Grand Junction High School students, who knew the 17-year-old student who took his life on Nov. 2.
“We have a few people who signed up for the event who went to Junction high school and were friends with him,” Baker said. “Kids are just trying to find a way to bring this out and talk about it.”
By having a younger group this year, it presents a challenging task for Heartbeat.
“Older people tend to think about (suicide) differently,” Baker said. “Younger people don’t know what to say or what to do.”
To register for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, the website is www.survivorday.org.
