Helping to make a difference, one step at a time

Darkness into Light walks

“I WANT to do my best so that no other family has to go through the same grief as us.”

These are the words of Sharon Ledwith, a woman from Athenry who lost her brother to suicide 25 years ago.

She is now working to raise awareness around the issue and support the services of Pieta House by raising funds for them.

Sharon’s brother Colin was only 18 when he took his own life and left his parents and three sisters with a mountain of grief and unanswered questions.

There was no bereavement support or suicide prevention service available at the time, which meant that the family had to find their own coping mechanism while dealing with their internal turmoil.

Sharon told The Tuam Herald that the grief was so big it led her to severe mental health issues, and she tried to take her own life on two occasions.

“At the time there was no service like Pieta House, no awareness around how to deal with a suicide, how to look for signs or how to help someone if they are going through something difficult.

“In my brother’s case we didn’t notice anything other than his frustration at some things and when he was gone, we were wondering if we could have done something to save him,” said Sharon.

Sharon, along with her parents and two sisters, got through those difficult times with the help of their community.

However, the journey was extra hard for Sharon who carried the guilt of not being able to save her brother for almost 14 years.

She was working in Dublin at the time when Colin called her and asked her to come home, but she couldn’t come because of her work and two days later her brother was gone.

“Had I known of the signs that I know now, maybe I could have talked to him on the phone, I could have come home or at least told my parents or someone else about it.”

She felt guilty for a long time and tried to suppress her emotions with alcohol, which made it even worse.

“When we found out about the services of Pieta House and the Darkness Into Light walk, myself and my mother started doing it in Galway.

“Then one year while signing up for the walk, I thought why can't we bring the walk to Athenry, to our community that stood with us in difficult times.”

She started organising Darkness into Light walks in Athenry in 2019, raising thousands of euro for the charity over the years.

“I want to do my best to help, so that another family doesn’t have to go through what we had to,” emphasised Sharon.

A total of 500 people died by suicide in Ireland in 2022, of which 410 were male and 90 were female.

Statistics highlight how men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than women; with highest numbers are recorded in men aged 40-44 or 70-74.

Despite falling overall rates, suicide remains a leading cause of death among young males aged 15-24 years.

Studies show that when one person dies by suicide, it impacts at least 135 people around them including the family, friends and acquaintances.

“It is also believed that one out of five impacted people will engage in self-harm or have suicidal thoughts,” stated Sharon.

“If Pieta House doesn’t get funds, then it would be difficult for them to provide all the free services that are very important to the communities.

“The mental health system in this country is already overwhelmed and we would all be left on waitlists if Pieta stops existing,” she added.

Pieta House provides support in prevention, intervention and postvention by running awareness campaigns, providing bereavement services and counselling services for free.

The service employs more than 300 therapists and support staff as the demand for their services continue to grow.

The helpline services are available 24/7 where one can reach out through call or text and support is provided according to the situation.

“With services like Pieta, people are more aware to look for signs and they are encouraged to ask the difficult questions like how are you feeling? Do you have any suicidal thoughts?

“The stigma around the word suicide is also fading away slowly, as for a long time the word was not being used openly even by Pieta,” noted Sharon.

Sharon believes that her journey through the grief could have been different had Pieta House existed at the time and so she wants to raise funds and support the charity as much as possible.

She is also urging members of the community to step out and join the walk on Saturday, May 9 and be a part of something important.

“Some people are there because they are bereaved, some are there because they have their own mental health issues while some are there just to support the cause,” she explained.

“Taking a walk is one of the great ways to socialise and it doesn’t matter what your speed is, there will always be someone to walk with you and chat with you,” she added.

This year’s Darkness Into Light walk in Athenry will start from Cullairbaun (H65WD54) at 4.15am on Saturday, May 9.