PORTLAND, Maine — According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide claims the lives of 23,000 people in the U.S. on average each year. In Maine, every 32 hours someone dies by suicide.
September is Suicide Awareness Month and one of the the biggest events held each year is the Out of Darkness Walk to raise awareness about the fight to end suicide. Like many fundraisers during the pandemic, this year's event will look different but the mission remains the same.
Nicole Steinhagen lights up describing her grandfather Walter Young.
"He was my best friend, role model and partner in crime," Steinhagen said.
Five years ago, the 78-year-old, who was battling depression, took his life.
"It was the most devastating thing I have had to go through and to see my family go through that was even harder," Steinhagen said.
Cathy Farthing Streifel knows that pain all too well. She lost her brother Jason to suicide in 2015. He was only 43.
"My family was blindsided by this and knowing how difficult it was to move threw and understand it, you don't want to wish it on your worst enemy," Streifel said.
As survivors of suicide loss, both women are working to help save lives and end the stigma around mental health. Going through the isolation of the pandemic has brought the issue front and center.
Streifel is the Co-Chair of the Greater Portland Out of Darkness Experience. The annual walk raises money for education and outreach programs for the Maine Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Due to the pandemic and social distancing guidelines, participants can register online and will be assigned a block of time to visit Fort Allen Park, the event site, on Saturday October 3rd, to pick up their packets and honor beads, which represents a struggle or a lost loved one. Participants can also choose a time and location to do their walk, job, or any activity of their choice.
Participants will have several weeks to complete their walk. The Out of Darkness Experience offers participants a chance to continue their healing journey by talking about the people they lost too soon or their survival story, as well as to let those struggling know that help is a call or text away.
"We need to let everybody know hey it's ok to not be ok," Steinhagen said.
People can register online for the Out of Darkness Experience and the Bangor Together to fight Suicide, sponsored by the Maine Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Participants can pick up packets for that event on Sunday October 4, at Waterfront Park in Bangor.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 or the Maine Crisis Hotline at 1-888-568-1112.