Arvid Tomayko-Peters •• Squish the Squid Productions

Arvid Tomayko-Peters

There are those people who make a difference in the world, who fight for a just and worthy cause. People who are out to help those in need, to correct wrongs, to shed light on things that people take for granted or are blind to. These people are not superheroes, but just people with a drive to make the world a better place. It is a group of people like this that is attempting to "Shine a Light on Suicide" in order to raise awareness and help to prevent it’s taking place.

January 20, 2002 was a solemn but inspiring evening. I played as part of a quartet headed by Richard Johnson at a suicide prevention fund raiser concert called "Shine a light on Suicide". The proceeds from the evening were to aid in the preparation of the "Out of the Darkness" fund raiser walk in Washington D.C., a national suicide prevention event. We opened the show with an original fanfare played on conch shells. After several other performers had played we continued with an improvised piece based on a beautiful poem by Christopher Brehl, a man who committed suicide only several months after he wrote it. Read by Christopher Brehl’s sister, Jennifer Brehl, it was a moving eulogy to him. We played standard instruments as well as strange and new ones Richard had made. I played trumpet and also the unruly Tentacle Horn, consisting of an old trumpet and battered trumpet body with four long, flexible, snake-like hoses through which the sound emerged.

At the end of this piece, as the last cadence rolled out and faded away from the other musicians I kept the Tentacle Horn on my lips, making no sound, still ready for another note. The audience was suspended in anticipation. There was no last note, or so we decided at that instant. We put down our instruments. The crowd applauded and we bowed. We were done for the night. I returned to my seat in the audience to hear the rest of the show as a spectator. It was then that I realized what it was I was participating in and what it meant. I realized what a momentous effort it was to put together this benefit and what it was doing to help people to survive and prevent suicide. For a long time discussing suicide has been taboo. It is very difficult if not sometimes impossible for complacent Americans to intelligently discuss. The work put in by the people who organized the event, the truth they were bringing to light were truly making a difference in the community and in the world. Susan Rose Blauner and Reese Butler are two of these extraordinary people who are making a visible difference in our world, helping to wake up those of us who are indifferent, bring light to those who are lost in darkness.

After the conch fanfare Susan Rose Blauner welcomed the audience to the benefit. As a survivor of suicide, she has written a book entitled How I Stayed Alive when My Brain was Trying to Kill Me, soon to be released. Blauner was the main organizer of the event. Bringing suicide out into the open is a difficult job. Most people consider suicide 'untouchable' and an event is often hushed up shortly after it happens. This concert and the book that Blauner has written not only help those who are considering suicide to seek other answers, but also bring the issue to the forefront of our minds and insure that we do not forget how serious a problem suicide is. In fact, suicide is the 3^rd leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24. More people die by suicide than homicide. The beginning of the concert was punctuated with a chime every 40 seconds that marked the frequency of "successful" suicides. Public awareness of suicide is very important because, as Blauner stresses, suicide is usually the result of depression, which is a treatable illness. Answers can be found and help is not far away. Susan Blauner has made a difference with her efforts to make the public more aware of suicide, its causes and its effects.

Next to walk onto the stage at Nauset Middle school was Reese Butler. Wearing a tuxedo he cut a dashing figure on stage. When he began to tell the story of his wife’s suicide, the audience hushed. It was difficult for him to tell his story and the audience could not help but sympathize with him. She had not only taken her own life, but devastated the lives of her family members. Since his wife’s suicide, Butler has been working to help others make the choice to continue life. Thanks to Reese Butler, help is now closer than ever to those who need it. Several years ago Reese was part of the group that established the hotline 1-800-SUICIDE. He saw that there was a 1-800 hotline for just about everything except help with suicide and decided to take action. When the group bought the number they dreamed that the hotline could help save one person’s life. The first day they connected the number, before advertising at all, they received over one hundred phone calls from people wanting help with suicidal thoughts. People were already calling the number in hope that someone would pick up on the other end and they probably had been calling for a long time. Since then Butler’s 1-800-SUICIDE group has aided over one quarter of a million Americans in dealing with suicide or finding a reason to carry on. Butler and his hotline have made a difference is the lives of not one, but many people.

Participating in the concert was an inspiring experience. It shows what we can achieve if we put our minds to it, what we can change if we really do care. The benefit concert concluded with the stunning singing and guitar playing of Kris Delmhorst, the featured musician. Her music captured the essence of the evening. Susan Blauner and Reese Butler have made a difference in the world, but that does not mean that they are finished. The work that they are doing is work that can never be finished. Those who truly work for change realize that it requires lots of hard work and often has no instant returns. This is because making a real difference requires not just the efforts of those like Blauner and Butler, but the recognition and concern of the many, of us. I was glad to be a part an event that made a positive difference in the world. The evening’s program read:

"My heartfelt thanks goes to: …[names / sponsors / media etc.]… You, for your bravery and willingness to learn about suicide and suicide prevention. Together we are making a difference.

Blessings,

Sue Blauner"

Arvid Tomayko-Peters •• Squish the Squid Productions

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