Grief After a Suicide

Hosted by club member, Rob Globus
This is a Hybrid Meeting. Both In-Person and Zoom.  Our guest speaker will be attending LIVE.

Zoom Link Information:

For Zoom Guests:  Please contact the Club IT committee to receive your invitation that includes the access code to our Monday Zoom meeting.

Topic:  

Grief After a Suicide

About the Speaker:

Mary still remembers the unbearable pain she experienced after her 18-year-old son, Steven, died by suicide near the family's Sacramento home in 1977.  "I spent a ood three years crying," recall Koenig.  "It was such a horrible, deep sadness.  If I got in my car by myself, I'd sob the whole time.  In my head I knew what happened, but it took years for my heart to accept it."

Koenig, a mother of seven, realized she wanted to help others coping with the same loss - but that she'd have to create her own group to do it.  "There was such a need for people to come together and share support," says Koenig, who launched Friends for Survival in 1983 along with eight others affected by the suicide death of loved ones.  "When someone first reaches out," adds Koenig, "even if they can't verbalize it, what they're asking is, 'Tell me how I'm going to get through this?'"

The group's work is needed more than ever, amid increased isolation and despression (nearly 45,000 Americans took their own lives in 2020).  "I had no idea how large the problem was," says Koenig.  "I just knew I lost my son and wanted to help others."