AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk held at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo
The walk brought hundreds out Saturday morning.
TOLEDO, Ohio — This morning, the annual AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk was held at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. The event raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and awareness regarding suicide in the United States. The walk stepped off at 11 a.m. with many representing family and friends they’ve lost to suicide.
Local radio personality Eric Chase emceed today’s event and says that he knows what many survivors of suicide, as well as those who are still struggling, are going through: the feeling that know one cares.
“I have a lot of dark thoughts some days, but I know there’s help, there’s friends. And people would miss you. Your brain might say otherwise, but people would miss you and we could help you,” said Chase.
Event organizers say mental health should be a priority, just like physical health and it’s important to take care of your mind, which in turn, can make you happier, be it a process.
“Your brain gets sick, just like any other organ and you’ve gotta take care of that. You don’t just magically wake up one day and poof it’s gone or you don’t just will yourself out of depression and mental illness,” says Rachel Klotz of the AFSP.
Chase says that there’s a simple question he wishes he was asked when he first began to struggle with his mental health.
“Do you wanna feel better? And if the answer is gonna be yes, then it probably is, because everybody wants to wake up everyday and feel good. Nobody wants to get out of bed and go ‘Wow! I wanna feel miserable today.’ If there’s something going on with you mental, and it’s keeping you from feeling good, there are ways to feel better,” he adds.
If you couldn’t make it out to today’s walk but still want to contribute to the cause, visit AFSP.org to get involved.
