My heart is heavy as I write this post.
On Wednesday night, I received news that a young boy in my home community had committed suicide after roaming around the neighborhood with a rifle, threatening to shoot anyone who tried to stop him.
The news left me and my roommate in dorm in shock and filled with sadness–we grew up together in the same small town in Waterford, Virginia. We had grown up going to school with Ryan our whole lives and i distinctly remember him from elementary school. While it would be unfair and untrue for me to say that I was close with him all throughout our school years because I know so many people were, I still feel the effects of this horrible and unforeseen event. My deepest thoughts and prayers are with Ryan’s family and close friends.
There seems to be this increasing trend for Twitter and other social media to blow up in times of crisis and tragedy with love and support from the community. I witnessed just that. There were tweets of love of and support for the Bartel family and tweets that were addressing the horrors of suicide. Many hashtags, like #PrayfortheBartelFamily and #WaterfordStrong, were created.
At school the day after, students wore yellow (instead of the class color spirit day planned as a Homecoming Week event) and, according to my brother and a few friends, the school was quieter and more eerie than ever. Yellow is the Suicide Prevention color.
This horrible event can remind us all of our civic duty to be kind to all those around us because we have no way of knowing what everyone is going through. It is so unfortunate to think that something like this has to happen before whole communities display awareness and support for a cause (kind of like the ALS challenge).
It’s a reminder that a simple hello or a quick conversation can change someone’s life, for real. It’s a reminder to never get too caught up in our own lives and forget those around us. It’s a reminder that the least expecting people can feel worthless and helpless. It’s a reminder that suicide is real.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be called 24/7 for professional help. 1-800-273-8255
Rest in peace, Ryan. You will be missed, but certainly not forgotten.
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