I lost my father to suicide in September 2005, when I was 14 years old. From that day onward, I was forced to grow up overnight. Thrust into this new world of suicide bereavement, I found myself unable to really articulate how I felt about my dad’s death and the devastation it had caused for me and my family.
For 13 years I struggled with the consequences of this, fighting mental health problems of my own which followed from my inability to ever really process dad’s suicide. Then, I found my local SoBS group in Edinburgh. I attended my first meeting in May 2019.
I immediately felt an immense sense of relief, comfort, and emotional safety which can only come from being surrounded by people who have lived through the unique struggles of suicide bereavement.
Ever since then, SoBS has played a massive role in my life and helped me to understand my own journey with my dad’s death. More importantly, it has shown me that my story can help others and given me a space where I can both offer and receive support at the same time.
This has been such a profound experience for me, and despite the undeniable pain that is often on display during our meetings, for me the most poignant aspect of being a part of SoBS is the overwhelming sense of empathy, resilience, and mutual support which the members of our group exemplify day in and day out.
In 2020, I decided to take my involvement with SoBS a step further and applied to be a volunteer facilitator. I have now been in this role for several months, and hope that the Edinburgh SoBS group will continue to be a part of my life for a long time.
Please see the Edinburgh group page for more information and contact details.
Since losing our son Jonathan to suicide in May 2011, we have done quite a lot of fundraising. We have held boot sales, stalls at fetes, skydives and many, many raffles.
In 2005 we tragically lost Fee – beloved wife and mother, when she took her own life. The shock and loss was enormous and it wasn’t until 2009 when we discovered Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. This charity has helped all three of us, in different ways, in coming to terms with such a painful loss. It is a loss that you never get over, but their involvement in our lives has helped us to move on but not forget.