Thousands of people gathered in Chicago Saturday morning for the largest suicide prevention walk in the country as suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death for all ages.
Around 6,000 people came together for the ‘Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk’ at Montrose Harbor on Saturday to raise awareness about suicide prevention and to bring hope to those affected by suicide.
“It’s pretty powerful. As a person that’s going through something, you try not to show emotions and vulnerability, being here and hearing people’s stories and just seeing the large amount of people here today to support this cause is very powerful,” said Enrique Galvez.
Enrique Galvez and his wife Nina Galvez are from Midlothian. This is their first walk to honor the memory of their son Sergio. He took his own life two years ago in November.
“It’s been hard, it’s been really tough, your only son you lose him at 25 and there’s no sign,” said Nina Galvez. “There’s no awareness there’s nothing, we didn’t know, and that’s what hurts the most.”
For others like Qori Harper from Chicago, not only is she walking for her friend Kiana, but also for herself.
“I’m a five-year survivor as of this month so it’s been a long hard journey. I still deal with mental health issues, heavy depression every day,” she said. “The battle is hard it’s really hard to keep going, but I have loved ones that are supportive.”
The 22nd annual event was organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and it’s Illinois chapter. NBC 5’s Allison Rosati served as the emcee for the event.
“I want you to look around to feel the love and the hope that surrounds you and to realize you are not alone,” said Rosati.
The event featured a host of mental health services, resources, and support on site through education, advocacy, and outreach work. Organizers said they want to break the stigma surrounding mental health.
“I feel like we know now more than ever that mental health is just like physical health and we got to take of it the same way that we take care of our physical health,” said Angela Cumings, Executive Director of the Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). “It’s okay to talk about it, it’s okay to talk about it openly with friends, your family, and to make it a priority.”
The event also featured a ‘Why we walk away’ and honor beads to signify how suicide has touched each person participating on the walk.
“There’s so many emotions honestly, sadness, in some of the parts, but during the honor bead ceremony you could just fill the love from everybody around you,” said Ellen Wandro from Iowa.
She and others are united in the cause saying they want people to know they’re not alone.
“Tomorrow is always a new day, there’s always help there, call 988, reach out to those you love and never be afraid to say you’re struggling,” said Wandro. “Because there’s so many more people than you realize that are just like you.”