They?re two mothers with similar and yet very different stories.
Lori Cooper and Sharla Miller have known each other for years. They attended mission trips together with their sons through Wesley United Methodist Church, where Cooper is youth minister.
Cooper?s son has battled depression for more than a decade and made multiple suicide attempts. The first one came with no warning signs.
Now, the Cooper family struggles every day to keep him safe.
Miller?s son lost his life to suicide in June. He had spent his last days with friends, making plans for the future. He?d never shown signs of depression or expressed suicidal thoughts.
Now, Miller wonders every day what she could have done if only he had reached out for help.
?Whatever that problem was, I would have moved heaven and earth to fix it. I would have done anything.?
The two women are among the leaders of a program dedicated to suicide awareness. The event, ?13 Reasons to Fly SEK,? takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Wesley United Methodist Church, 301 E. Madison Ave.
The featured speaker is Isabelle Cole, founder of 13 Reasons to Fly, a national suicide prevention campaign that takes a different spin on the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why.
The event is free and includes lunch both days, with free T-shirts and giveaways. Registration can be made now through the day of the event, but call 620-365-2285 today to guarantee a T-shirt size. The event is recommended for middle age students to adults.
Miller?s story
Miller had told her children: ?Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.?
She had experience with suicide. An uncle had attempted to kill himself and instead was left paralyzed for the last 20 years of his life. He died when Matthew was just a year old.
And Miller has her own story, fighting depression, going back to high school.
Later, after a friend killed herself at college, Miller went to a doctor. She learned her body does not produce enough serotonin, a chemical that promotes wellbeing and happiness. She would need to take medication for the rest of her life to fight depression.
?It?s manageable. Some days, it?s more manageable than others.?
So Miller did what she could to educate her children about suicide. She told them about her uncle.
