Out of Darkness Walk - Sheading Light on Suicide

 

I've decided to participate in the Out of Darkness Walk this year on May 18, 2013. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a walk (like the ones you do for breast cancer) but to bring about awareness for suicide prevention. Suicide is something that is still very taboo and it is time to speak up.

On October 18, 2012, I received a phone call saying that my husband's cousin, Matt, had made the decision to take his own life. My heart dropped to my stomach as I was the one that needed to call my husband and inform him of this. Matt was an only child, he was a father, a husband, a cousin, a nephew, an uncle and a friend. He was absolutely hilarious and we often considered him to be the "ice breaker" at our family functions because when he was there, there wasn't any awkwardness.


He was the absolute last person we'd ever think would get to the point where he no longer wanted to live.

Suicide is often related to "emotional teenagers" or those who seek attention, but the reality is that it can happen to ANYONE. Without knowing the signs and without making it possible for people to reach out and get help, people like Matt, who have everything to live for, will continue to chose an irreversible fate. There is still so much to learn about mental illness and this walk raises money not only for research but to be able to provide resources to those suffering from a mental illness and to families who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

I wasn't sure about posting this here but I wanted to spread the word and bring awareness. There is so much shame associated with suicide and there shouldn't be. We shouldn't be ashamed of how Matt died but should use that to help promote change. "Be the Change you want to see in this world" is something that I've found to have real meaning and I want to be apart of that change.

If you can help us raise money please follow the link below and support our team. Even donated $1 will help us take one more step towards preventing another family from going through the immense grief associated with suicide.

 

This is about bringing light to a very dark place and giving people (both those suffering from depression or from a loss) HOPE!

 

 

If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in need of resources please visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

You Only Have to Brush The Ones You Want To Keep!

This morning the kids had to go to the dentist and they were very nervous. The older two needed to have some work down and I'm all too familiar with the anxiety that comes along with knowing that you have to allow someone to mess around in your mouth. We recently started taking them to a pediatric dentist about 20 minutes from our house and so far it has been a great place. The kids get to watch movies while the work is being done because they have screens on the ceiling (I thought this was a brillian idea!) so it keeps them distracted!

Franchesca had a small cavity that needed to be filled on one of her molars and Vaughn needed to have a molar pulled (yikes!). Vaughn had a cavity in that tooth and had it filled about a year and a half ago. Well sometimes when a tooth is filled, an infection can occur. Well my poor son fell in that percentage of people who have experienced an infection after a filling and the only solution for that is to have the tooth removed. It wasn't a huge deal because it is his baby teeth and he will get another tooth in there in a few years.

Today was the first time the kids had the option to use nitrous oxide or laughing gas (they both chose to have bubble gum scent). Their pediatric dentist in NYC never offered it to us so we didn't even know it was an option. The laughing gas made a HUGE difference and they were calm and relaxed. They don't really remember any discomfort or being nervous. Everything now is said and done and even though they have some discomfort, they've learned a valuable lesson:

You only have to brush and floss the teeth you'd like to keep!"

You always hear about the importance of brushing and flossing but until you get that first cavity, you never really understand why. Our kids are required to brush and floss at least twice a day. My husband jokes around about me being insane when it comes to taking care of everyone's teeth but not only is dental work uncomfortable, its also super expensive! Just remeber that children should visit the dentist at least once every six months starting from when they first have teeth and should start floosing once they have enough teeth and the teeth are close together (around age 3).

Thanks for reading!