GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — People who have lost someone to suicide are invited to come together in West Michigan just before Thanksgiving.
The West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss will host its annual conference on Nov. 22. The organization’s vice president, Rebecca Olsen, said anyone who has been affected by suicide loss is welcome to attend.
“This is an event that someone might never know exists, until they have lost someone,” Olsen said. “But it’s held in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention every November. It’s always the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving. And it’s a time for survivors who’ve lost someone, or anyone who’s been touched by suicide loss.”
Scott Walton is the treasurer of West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss. He previously worked as a firefighter EMT, where he coped by compartmentalizing many of his days on the job.
“On the way home you’re able to put what happened in a little box and you’re able to put it on a shelf and go home and walk in the door like nothing happened,” he said.
When his brother Jeff committed suicide in 2019, everything changed.
“When that happened to me, I knew that I had to get help,” he said. “So I reached out to get a counselor right away, which really helped for several years, as well as finding a suicide loss group where I was living at the time,” he said.
The event, which has lasted longer than 40 years, will feature guest speaker and former Ithaca High School football coach Terry Hessbrook, whose son committed suicide.
Olsen said that anyone who has been affected by suicide is encouraged to attend, regardless of the time frame.
“Whether you’re a clinician, someone who works in law enforcement, whether you’ve lost someone two weeks ago or 20 years ago — it’s a place to feel seen and heard,” she said.
The event is free for anyone to attend and will last from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 160 68th Street SW at the southeast entrance. Registration is available at wmsosl.com.
