International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day set for Nov. 23

Casper College will be hosting activities to help suicide loss survivors find comfort and gain understanding through stories of healing and hope during International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the T-Bird Nest.

The free event will feature a screening of the film “Pathways to Healing: Hope After Suicide Loss.” The short film follows the friends and family of Chris Taddeo, a young adult who died by suicide. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the film will “ … show the individual experiences a community of people can have after a shared loss: from confusion and denial to isolation and finding support. Through their various approaches to grief and healing, each journey shares a message of hope, connection, and resilience.”

The day will begin at 10:30 a.m. with community booths. At 11, the documentary will be screened and refreshments served. Following the film, survivors will share their stories of hope and healing, and a Q&A will follow.

An act of Congress in 1999 created Survivor Day and since then has been sponsored and supported by the AFSP. In 2018 there were 370 total events, including 32 international sites in 19 countries. For many loss survivors, attending a Survivor Day event is an opportunity to discover that they are not alone in their experience of losing someone they know and love to suicide.

The event is sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Casper, Central Wyoming Counseling Center, Drew’s Decision, the AFSP, Wyoming Psychiatry, and Casper College. The T-Bird Nest is located on the third floor of the Union/University building on the Casper College campus.