This chapter touches on mental health and loss.
I want to be clear and gentle here: suicide is not weakness, selfishness, witchcraft, or a lack of love. It is often the result of deep, invisible pain that a person doesn’t know how to carry anymore. Sometimes there are signs. Sometimes there aren’t. Someone you spoke to yesterday can be gone today—and that truth is terrifying, confusing, and unfair.
If you are reading this and recognize yourself in these feelings, please know this: it is not your fault. You are not broken. You are not beyond help. And you do not have to carry everything alone.
If you can, talk to someone you trust—a friend, a family member, a teacher, a counselor, a faith leader, or any adult who feels safe. Asking for help is not failure. It is courage. And if someone you love is struggling, listening without judgment can mean more than you realize.
Mental health is real. Pain is real. And healing is possible—even when it doesn’t feel like it.
You matter. Your life matters. And your story is not over.
