TYLER — Suicide is a growing public health crisis, and most people likely know someone impacted by the issue. This reality has inspired many grass-roots efforts in East Texas to fight the stigma surrounding suicide, including the annual "Out of the Darkness" walk in Tyler.
Saturday’s walk will make the fourth for Tyler. But it’s the first that UT Tyler lecturer, Kay Pleasant has participated, even serving as a co-organizer of the event.
“I looked this morning, and we have 390,” says Pleasant in regard to how many people are currently registered for the walk. “That was up from yesterday. We've raised $23,000, and I believe we have 54 teams registered.”
Pleasant is one of millions affected yearly by suicide. Despite being a sociable man full of jokes and smiles, her husband, Brian, took his life on January 2, 2017.
"He had battled depression probably for the last ten years. He knew that he had it, but he didn't want anybody else to know. I encouraged him to go for counseling, but he was an East Texas man, and just felt like he should be able to control that himself."
A person’s pain may not always be obvious, but suicide is preventable. On average, one person dies by suicide every three hours in Texas, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Locally, Smith County has the highest suicide rate among the state's most populous counties. Untreated depression remains the number one cause of suicide.
"This is an illness of the brain. It is nothing to be ashamed of. The chemicals in his brain on that day just were not right, and I firmly believe that if we could’ve just gotten passed that day, he would’ve been good."
Months after her husband’s passing, Kay started attending meetings held by the East Texas Behavioral Health Leadership Team. That’s where she met another organizer of the “Out of the Darkness” walk, who would later encourage her to join the efforts.
"Any of us who have had someone we love take their life, it is healing to get up and help others and to be a part of a group where you're with people who have also lost someone that was very close to them and to see that they are living life normally again.”
With nearly 400-people already registered for the walk and more than $20,000 in donations raised, Kay Pleasant says there’s sure to be a sense of hope and togetherness displayed at the event.
“For anyone who thinks they're alone, whether they're battling depression or battling a mental illness or have experienced suicide, they are not alone and this, I hope, will help them see that."