in 2019, i decided to start sharing my story as a suicide loss survivor and that is when sentiment project started creating space for grief.

my dad died by suicide when i was a senior in high school. that was 1992 and the stigma and shame around suicide made grieving and healing confusing. studying graphic design in college, about 5 years later, i processed a lot of my feelings through a project i created. it was a book called sentiment. the main character was e, and the other letters create the emotions that i allowed myself to confront and feel when i attempted to put myself in e’s shoes. e has gone on to represent empathy for me. it became an important part of me allowing myself to grieve and my journey with healing. there was power in acknowledging the feelings that i had but i also realized the immense power of sharing my story with others in my class. i continued on to become a creative leader, often finding myself in spaces where empathy and creativity come together.

in 2019, i decided to convert the pages of the book to a series of instagram posts leading up to the american foundation for suicide prevention (afsp) out of the darkness walk to help create awareness. those words “out of the darkness” really spoke to me. we must remove the stigma and talk about this more. i also took the book off the shelf to share it with a trusted group in the days leading up to the walk. each time i do this, i am reminded of the power of sharing our stories so we know that we are not alone.

then in nov 2020, the first sunday conversation series began. i realized many things existed for awareness and prevention but not really as much with a focus on the survivors who had lost someone to suicide. six people with unique yet shared experience, coming together to use creativity to create and share our stories, support each other through that process and help in our healing.

since then, from state street in chicago to abc sunday morning news to virtual talks, i have shared more about the impact that healing has had on my journey. no two loss experiences are the same, yet there are parallels and shared themes that connect us. every type of loss deserves to be grieved. everyone’s timeline for grief is deeply personal.

this space is here to be what you need. i am grateful you are here.