I’m taking more than a moment to pause and remember my very special mother, Diane Marcus Roy, who was lost to suicide exactly 15 years ago today.
I will never stop missing her nor would I ever want to forget how much I love her. Losing her has left a big hole in my heart forever. She was very special to this world.
After viewing "A Son of Suicide" again, it strikes me how much I am my mother’s son. We have many of the same facial features and personality traits. Like her, I have moved out west to a desert climate after my long-running job in Chicago came to an end. She chose Sedona for its red rocks that she thought were so beautiful. I’m in Palm Springs for the sunshine that helps to lift my mood. I moved to Cathedral City, CA, in July of 2014.
Some days, I have fears about just how similar we are.
But as a survivor of suicide (for those not familiar with the term, a survivor of suicide is someone who has lost a loved one to suicide. It isn't someone who attempted suicide and survived.)
Having survived years of that unique grieving process, I don’t have it in me.
“Like mother like son?”
The answer is no.
I continue to work on this issue.
Journalism ends stigma, stops suicide, saves lives.
To my brothers and sisters in this important fight, fellow survivors, please share this post in honor of Diane Marcus Roy and everyone we've lost to an epidemic that shouldn't exist, especially if suicide has touched you personally, I hope you'll post it on Facebook and other social media sites, add your thoughts and comments, and let me know so I'll be sure to look and we can continue this conversation.
My heart, mind, thoughts and prayers are with you.
I’m not done.
Something good is around the corner.
I feel it.
My mother is watching.
I hope she's proud.
To my sister, Pamela, my niece, Georgia, and nephew, Peter Kevin, who will never meet their maternal grandmother; to my dear cousin, Sharon Beltaine Marcus, my father, Robert Albert Roy, my Aunt Karen Louise Cullen, the entire Cullen family, Brian and Donna Marcus of Duluth, GA and their beautiful daughters and their families and spouses; my Uncle Stanley Tien Marcus; Amy K. Smith; to everyone in my extended family -- Aunt Betty and Uncle Gene Marcus of Canton, OH, and Larry, Nancy, their children -- to everyone I know and miss so much, especially John Martin Park and Kaeley, Kellen, Kiera, Karma, Bella, Ann Kendall Park, George and Maryann Kendall, everyone I've loved and still love so much -- you are all in my thoughts as we remember "the glue who held our family together."
You're in my thoughts and prayers every single day.
The "glue" quote is an excellent way of describing Diane Kay Marcus Roy and credit goes to my father who said that during our interview for "A Son of Suicide."
Speak out -- fight the stigma against people with mental illnesses.
To view “A Son of Suicide,” go to my website: http://www.KevinMarcusRoy.com. You can also watch it by scrolling above.
With love and in memory,
Kevin Marcus Roy
