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| Sunset Storm Rolls into Town Creek on Lake Guntersville - where Daddy, Mike and I used to fish |
On Sunday, November 7, 2010, Tracie and I joined "Mike's Team" to walk to help raise awareness and funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We met at Heardmont Park in Birmingham, Alabama and walked with Anna Ruth, Daniel and Terri Williams - the family of Mike Williams. We were there because of two dates in our lives that changes our life course - July 18, 1982 and November 6, 2008. My father, Josh Johnson, committed suicide on July 18, 1982. Mike Williams - Terri's husband and Anna Ruth and Daniel's father - committed suicide on November 6, 2008. Mike was one of my best friends and the former minister of music at Weatherly Heights Baptist Church where Tracie, Ana Ruth, Daniel and I grew up in.
Suicide has touched us deeply and left us with a void that can't be filled. We joined together in this walk - along with a couple thousand more folks including our friends who were part of Mike's Team - to prevent others the pain we have experienced in these losses. That's what the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is all about - an organization to help people identify depression, guide them to help and treatment, and bring them on a road to recovery so they can live a full life with their family and friends.
“Mike’s Team” raised $2,600 thanks to your generous donations! Our walk last Sunday with Anna Ruth, Daniel and Terri Williams was a reminder of how many people struggle with depression. I can’t bring back my dad or Mike, but I can do my best to help others who battle depression.
“Mike’s Team” raised $2,600 thanks to your generous donations! Our walk last Sunday with Anna Ruth, Daniel and Terri Williams was a reminder of how many people struggle with depression. I can’t bring back my dad or Mike, but I can do my best to help others who battle depression.
Here are some facts about depression and suicide in the U.S. (from www.afsp.org ):
• Over 34,000 people in the U.S. die by suicide every year. It is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old.
• Among young people aged 10-14 years, the suicide rate has doubled in the last two decades.
• Risk factors for suicide among young adults include suicidal thought, psychiatric disorders (such as depression, impulsive aggressive behavior, bipolar disorder, certain anxiety disorders), drug and/or alcohol abuse and previous suicide attempts, with the risk increased if there is situational stress and access to firearms.
• Depression affects nearly 10% of Americans ages 18 and over in a given year – more than 24 million people.
• More Americans suffer from depression than coronary heart disease (17 million) and cancer (12 million) and HIV/AIDS (1 million)
• Depression is among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses. Between 80-90% of people with depression respond positively to treatment, and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. But first, depression has to be recognized.
• Over 34,000 people in the U.S. die by suicide every year. It is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old.
• Among young people aged 10-14 years, the suicide rate has doubled in the last two decades.
• Risk factors for suicide among young adults include suicidal thought, psychiatric disorders (such as depression, impulsive aggressive behavior, bipolar disorder, certain anxiety disorders), drug and/or alcohol abuse and previous suicide attempts, with the risk increased if there is situational stress and access to firearms.
• Depression affects nearly 10% of Americans ages 18 and over in a given year – more than 24 million people.
• More Americans suffer from depression than coronary heart disease (17 million) and cancer (12 million) and HIV/AIDS (1 million)
• Depression is among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses. Between 80-90% of people with depression respond positively to treatment, and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. But first, depression has to be recognized.
At the end of the walk, Terri Williams talked to me and Tracie about her struggle on this day after the second anniversary of Mike's death. We stood side by side with my right arm around Terri and my left arm around Tracie. On stage, Anna Ruth released butterflies into the air. It was a touching moment of pain, sorrow, release, absence, and celebration. It didn't answer the questions. It didn't take away the grief. However, it did bring all of us together for the first time since our wedding day on February 21, 2009. With the love of my life holding on to me, the moment reminded me how much I love Terri, Dan, and Anna Ruth as we our lives were joined by the common bond of Mike.
I miss my daddy and wish he could be here to know my beautiful wife and his step-grandchildren Timothy and Jasmine. I miss Mike and wish he could be here to go camping and fishing with our wonderful families. For both of them, when I cast a fishing line into Guntersville Lake, their fishing legacies continue with me. I wish they could be here to make more stories with us, telling stories of their own RATHER THAN me telling stories about them.
Tracie and I don't want anyone else to have to go through the pain we or our families have gone through in the loss of a loved one through suicide. That's why we support AFSP.
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| Mike Williams fishing below Wheeler Dam |
