Italian writer Primo Levi survived the Holocaust but could not endure the pain of depression.
His life ended in suicide.
Celebrated actor Robin Williams made the world laugh with brilliant comedy but could not stop sadness from devouring him.
His life ended in suicide.
They are mere statistics now, two of the 800,000 lives lost globally every year to suicide.
Suicide steals one life every 40 seconds.
So by the time you’re finished reading this, our world will have lost three people: possibly a young father, an only daughter, or a twin brother? Or maybe an older sister, a coworker, or a fiancé?
They died, like Primo and Robin, from a lack of hope.
Hope is the ONLY thing that can keep a depressed human being alive.
Medication can’t.
Nor can meditation.
Not acupuncture or yoga or green smoothies.
I know this because I’ve been wrestling the thief of life ever since I emerged from my mother’s womb 43 years ago.
I know what it feels like to want so desperately to die.
I know that feeling too well.
I’ve tried over 50 medication combinations and more than 50 natural supplements. I’ve eliminated alcohol, caffeine, gluten, dairy, and sugar from my diet. I’ve immersed myself into mindfulness meditation, done yoga, and experimented with acupuncture. I’ve been in therapy for 14 years, keep a gratitude journal, and exercise no less than five times a week. I train my thoughts, pray, and do meaningful work.
All these things have made living easier, but hope is what kept me alive.
Hope is born when people share their stories with one another.
It’s the very essence of Project Beyond Blue.
Hope is the energy that is generated between two vulnerable and transparent persons that has the power to keep both alive. It is the life-saving current that surges between two or more hearts that don’t want to die, but are weary from illness.
Hope saves, inspires, and heals.
It determines whether a person continues to fight or perishes from an exhausting battle.
Project Hope & Beyond is the infrastructure to allow hope to happen.
Yes, together there is hope!
So much hope!
Therese Borchard
