Robyn Shares her Journey to AFSP

I am the current board chair of the Western PA chapter of AFSP,  let me share my journey of how I got here.

I am very active in my church and have spent the last nearly ten years working with our youth group.   I love these teens and have felt so connected to so many of them over the years.   One in particular,  Lorenzo was one of my favorites.   He was smart as a whip, had a dry sense of humor,  and was a pain in my butt... in all the best ways.  I had so many car rides with Lorenzo to events, arguing about anything we could think of. He was always challenging me to be a better person and I hope I did the same for him.  He was a dear friend.  In 2020, during the height of covid, Lorenzo graduated and bridged out of the  youth program going to college.   On March 23, 2021, Lorenzo died by suicide.   On this same day, I was in Greentown, PA saying goodbye to my father as he died that day as well.   Looking back, I can say without a doubt that Lorenzo's death has affected me so much more.   My father was older, he had a very full life, he had children and grandchildren... and while I will miss him, he left his legacy.  Lorenzo died at 18 and it broke my heart. I spoke at Lorenzo's funeral and thanked his family through tears, for letting me be a part of his brief life. I carried a lot of sadness. Then in October of 2022, I learned of another suicide of a youth I had worked with.  He was 22 years old when he passed. I was so devastated. I was not nearly as close with this young man, but I loved him too and I had now lost two of my youth kids to this horrible disease. I nearly quit doing youth work after this death.   

I did not quit, there are kids in my program now that I know suffer with thoughts of suicide and if I can do anything at all to keep them here a bit longer, then I need to stay in this work.   

2 years ago while at the Pittsburgh Pride event, I came across the booth for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Western PA.    I immediately asked them if I could volunteer.   Finally, I had found  something I could do with this grief.   Somewhere to funnel this energy, and be able to understand suicide prevention and my role in it.  

I support AFSP for the groundbreaking work it is doing.  Most of what we know today about suicide prevention comes from AFSP funding.  We pay for research, we provide education to schools and hospitals and special needs communities.  We create support for loss survivors among so many other programs. We send volunteers to Harrisburg and Washington DC  to advocate for mental health funding and laws that assist with suicide prevention.    

AFSP has changed my life.  I share what I have learned with others.  If we want to have a world without suicide, we all need to do what we can.  My work with AFSP has been so healing to me and I know it can be for so many others.   

Yours in the fight,

Robyn Travers