MS. BRADFORD: Every one of us had that same
guilt. We all asked, “What could I have done
different? How come I didn’t see this? What
did I miss?” It’s part of the evil trying to get
you too. Don’t think that, don’t go there.
MS. ELMENDORF: It’s important, as a believer, to
turn that why question into, ‘What purpose do
I suffer, Lord?’ because I think He can use your
suffering.
MR. COOPER: The why question is a dead-end
road. But for what purpose do I suffer? God,
can you possibly use this for good in our lives to
help other people? That is a life-giving highway.
MS. BRADFORD: Romans 8:28 and 29 say that
the Lord will turn a bad thing for good. Noth-ing
bad is EVER His doing — but He does
take a bad thing and turn it for good. In my
case, I’m mentally healthy. In Hunter’s case, it’s
drawing young people together and hopefully
the awareness will really spread in that genera-tion.
Your annual Out of Darkness Walk is a
great way to get public awareness out.
MS. ELMENDORF: The more we talk about it,
the more we get it out there, the less stigmatiz-ing
it will be, the more we are giving pain and
depression a voice and a face of normalcy. And
I love what the pastor said at Jim’s son Hunter’s
funeral: “It’s OK not to be OK.”
12,500 people participated in the Out of Darkness Walk for
Suicide Prevention at Wrightsville Beach last November.
Death
Rate per
100,000
residents
North Carolina
Suicide Fatalities 2015
Statewide 1,406 14
New Hanover County 26 13.2
Brunswick County 17 13.8
Pender County 10 17.4
Onslow County (home to Camp Lejeune) 52 16.1
Cumberland County (home to Fort Bragg) 34 18.2
SOURCE: NORTH CAROLINA STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS
Military stats on Suicide
In 2013, the Unites States Department of Veterans Affairs released a
study that covered suicides from 1999 to 2010, which showed that
roughly 22 veterans were dying by suicide per day, or one every 65
minutes. Some sources suggest that this rate may be undercounting
suicides.
WBM january 2018 52