Two weeks ago I wrote of Alexander McQueens' suicide, and yesterday I wrote about Andrew Koenig's. At the same time, several suicides have taken place in Manhattan's subway.
Just now I have learned that in Los Angeles, Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son Michael Blosil has died. It is reported that Michael jumped to his death Friday night from a downtown Los Angeles apartment building.
"My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time," Marie Osmond said in a statement through her publicist.
It appears that Michael suffered from depression.
Dear Michael's mother, I understand your anguish only too well. I have no words of comfort, as I myself am gravely wounded by my own son's death by suicide. My beloved 20-year-old son, Andrew Williamson-Noble, jumped to his death from the 10th floor of Bobst, NYU's main library, on November 3, 2009.
Although not famous, my son's death was all over the internet and the media before we had even made it home from the hospital. A picture of Andrew, taken from his Facebook home page, was splattered everywhere. And I read on the internet that my son had left a note.
Shocked and distressed though I was at the time, I have come to see that talking about suicide is an important way to help prevent it.
While still by Andrew's side at the hospital, writhing in pain and reeling in shock to discover that my son, healthy as far as I knew, had taken his own life, my immediate reaction was not to disclose that he had killed himself, and looked for ways to explain his death when asked by family and friends. But as soon as I articulated the thought I discarded it.
My son was a knight who had fallen in battle. Whatever demons he fought, it had taken his life to bring them down. Now he is a fallen knight, and I stand with him.
Dear Marie, so is your son. It is up to us to take up from where they left off. To spread light where there is despair, to bring hope where there is hopelessness.
Our sons did their part, they gave their life that others may live. I stand with those who have died and anyone else who wants to join and help prevent suicide, which, in the United States alone, takes the life of one person every 16 minutes.
And you, dear Michael, take care wherever you are.
Follow Esmeralda Williamson-Noble on Twitter: www.twitter.com/loaenterprise
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I understand what you mean when you say that you are barely functionin
Please take care dear fellow survivor and please stay in touch. Come and continue the conversati
www.foreve
Rebecca
Esmeralda, I pray for your strength and peace, and for Marie's as well.
Please take the time to reach out to those who may be suffering. To listen, validate, comfort, and be present with them. Allow them to be vulnerable
Not every person's depression is the same and certainly the depression felt by youth can be the most painful. I think its important that youth understand that they need to give life a chance. Many, many people survive terrible experience
I believe as you do that we need to talk about it. Keeping suicide in the dark only makes things worse. Many people commit suicide, and many people have contemplat
Thank you for beginning this dialogue.
Big Hug, Andrew's Mummy
Please stop and think about the additional pain you are inflicting when you dismiss suicide victims as "selfish." You clearly do not understand what you are talking about.
Whatever's bugging you, if it's bugging you THAT bad, you need to develop a new strategy for dealing with it. You own your thoughts, not the other way around, and you also have hands, with opposable thumbs, so either start typing, or writing, or dialing. If you need assistance
But, let me tell you this; I am going to a suicide prevention conference in Washington March 7 to 9 and then on to meet with our lawmakers. In the end, one does what one can.
Let me know if I can help. Take care
What we need more than anything is to train everyone, everywhere