In February of this year my family lost my 32-year old cousin John, a police officer, loving father (to 3 year old Julia, and 17 year old Briana), husband, brother, and son, to suicide.  It has been an incredibly painful experience for my family - the unanswered questions, the guilt, the blame, the wondering 'why?' and the 'what could we have done?'  We've tried our best to comfort one another, but this is something that I believe you really can't 'get over' - you just 'get through.'

At the funeral services for John, the priest said something that I strongly took to heart.  He said "God does not allow anything to occur out of which something good cannot come."  I need some good to come out of this tragedy.  I searched on the Samaritans website, and I found out about this run/walk.  It's a 5k Run/Walk in Boston to benefit the Samaritans (www.samaritansofboston.org) I'm hoping it's a small step in the healing process, and I'm hoping my small contributions will help raise awareness for depression, loneliness, and the very real issue of suicide.  Suicide is a topic people don't like to talk about - it's uncomfortable, it's taboo...but WE NEED to raise awareness - we need to let people in despair know that there are resources and help services available.  The Samaritans do so much that goes unnoticed.  They offer survivor support services in addition to their 24-hour a day hotlines, community outreach, and support groups.

Please help me with this mission in any way you can - use the secure website to make a monetary donation, join me in "Running for someone else's life" (or you can walk it!) on September 29th.

Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Feel free to forward on to anyone who you feel would like to donate as well.

Thank you in advance for your support, and God Bless!

Elizabeth