Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Story of Remarkable Strength, Courage, and Caring

If you look around our social landscape, you see a bleak picture painted by the brush of today's youth who see no other way out but suicide.

If you look around the world's leading social network, you see many pages by many people who are trying to make a difference by attempting to stem the tide of teen suicides.  Right there leading the charge is STOP Teenage Suicide.

The page's founder, Lyndsay Winegarden, has a remarkable story.  It's a story of strength, courage, perseverance, and caring.  Read it for yourself.  It's...well...what I just said.  And then some.

What she has created, STOP Teenage Suicide, has been a very effective tool.  She tells of how many young lives she saved just over the recently-passed holidays, alone.  The membership of the group is growing by the day as people from all around the world are finding out that it's a place for helping as well as being helped.  And, as she said in her own words, "if I can save even one life, it will all be worth it".  Indeed.  She's not just saving "...one life...", she's saving and helping many.

This is amazing considering where she's come from and everything she's had to deal with.  Her story, alone, should be enough to inspire any teen when they're in their darkest hour.  Enduring what Lyndsay's had to endure, even as she worked through a deep depression, and coming out stronger for it sends a very strong, crystal clear message of "yes, it really does get better".  People are now paying attention to what she has to say.  And, the timing for that couldn't be better as the battle to end teen suicide has never been more impassioned than today.

This business of trying to save lives is no easy task, by any stretch of the imagination.  By getting involved, we understand that we will be required, at some point, to make many sacrifices.  Sometimes, it's time consuming.  Sometimes, especially when the at-risk teen is on the other side of the world, it's hard to find the resources you need to keep that teen alive.  All of the time, it's emotionally draining.  There are many, many people giving their best effort to make a difference, trying to end teen suicides.  There are tireless people on countless pages and website.  There are bloggers.  You quickly come to understand that what you're doing is changing lives.  Right now, no one is doing that better than Lyndsay Winegarden and her creation, STOP Teenage Suicide.

6 comments:

  1. I think more people should speak on this subject. I myself have a family memeber that thinks that Suicide is the way out. Its struggle more often then none,but we handle this 1 day at a time. Keep spreading the word all you can to make our family members belive that there is so more to life then this.

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  2. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. For your kind words for for all you are doing to make this world a better places. <3

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  3. Smetimes!....I feel like like this! And have felt like this for the last 50 yrs!But there is "Always, tomorrow is another day! " IT MAY BE BETTER!? " DREAMS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE WORST BIITS! AND THE FOLLOWNG DAY IS ALWAYS , NOT NECESSARILY BETTER! BUT DIFFERENT!

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  4. I am glad to know that something is being done and that something is working. I have tried a few times to help people understand that it is worth while to keep going and dump the negative.Talking from personal experience, it is not often easy but it IS well WORTH the fight. Keep up the good work folks.

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  5. I am a 54 year old woman that made one not too serious attempt at killing myself when I was 16 and then a full-blown attempt that failed (thankfully) when I was 34. I am so thankful I didn't succeed either time. I have come to realize that suicide doesn't solve problems, it only creates problems for those we love and leave behind. I hope the STOP Teenage Suicide page becomes one of Facebook's highest "Liked" pages because the work it does is beyond value!

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