
"Participating in the Overnight last year was an incredibly moving experience which I'm grateful to have shared with so many others who lost a loved one(s) to suicide," my friend, singer Kehau Kahananui reveals. "I lost my beloved older sister Sharon to suicide in January 2009. It came as a complete shock to all who knew her. Despite continuing to be the vibrant, fun, loving woman we knew, she had fallen into a dangerous depression, one which she hid all too well from her family and friends. I walk to honor my sister's incredible & loving life, to support new prevention initiatives that will save lives and to end the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses & suicide. I walk so that others will not have to."
Consider these facts:
- Every day, approximately 90 Americans take their own life.
- There are more than 34,000 lives lost to suicide each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide
In the U.S.:
- Suicide is the 5th leading cause of death among those 5-14 years old, 3rd leading for those 15-24 years old, 4th leading for those 18-65 years old, and currently suicide is the 11th overall leading cause of death in the United States.
- Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.
- Over 60 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression.
- More Americans suffer from depression than coronary heart disease (17 million), cancer (12 million) and HIV/AIDS (1 million).
Sadly, despite these grim statistics, suicide prevention is vastly under-funded. Depression is the leading cause of suicide, but the good news is that 80-90 percent of people respond positively to treatments. Help me to help others by making a tax-deductible contribution. You can visit Kehau's fundraising page to make a donation:
http://www.facebook.com/l/fec0aL12rKP2EuOyY3fKo_1cZZQ/theovernight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=500&participantID=1443
Please do what you can to help this important work, no donation is too small & all are appreciated! This a great organization that saves lives. I'd appreciate you passing this message along to others you think might be interested in this cause.

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