| SAVE Walk for Mental Health |
| SAVE Walk for Mental Health |
What began with a storm the night before turned into a sun filled day at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. Despite strong winds from the lake and a power outage problem with the sound system, true survivors embarked on the fourth annual SAVE Walk for Mental Health around Lake Harriet.
Although this is only their fourth walk, SAVE(Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) has been around since 1989. SAVE’s mission is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, eliminate stigma and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide. Because the number one cause of suicide is untreated depression, SAVE has committed itself to educate the public about depressive brain diseases (such as clinical depression and bipolar.) These illnesses can result in suicide if they are left untreated, both medically and psychologically. By educating the public, SAVE strives to remove the stigma that is way too often associated with Mental Health issues.
SAVE’s prevention and education programs are designed to:
As with every year of the walk, the event begins with a program at 9 am. This year's speakers were a psychiatrist named Dr. Ron Groat and Pete Fiegal, a consumer/client/patient or as we call ourselves here in the Mental Illness Ministry (MIM): Pursuer of Wellness.
Dr Groat(right) spoke about all the treatment options that are available now compared to when he first started in the mental health field. For example, fifteen years ago there was only one medication for Bipolar and now there are ten. There are now two hundred fifty mental illnesses that can be diagnosed. There are now a multitude of treatments with better outcomes than just a few short years ago. The medical profession is now doing MRI studies that are leading to unbelievable insights on biological brain illnesses. People are responding better to treatment. He added that improvement does not happen overnight. Usually it takes about six weeks for the medication to start working in your system. Yet, it is possible to obtain the true you.
Pete Fiegal(right), a pursuer of wellness, gave an inspirational speech of survival. He has suffered with Mental Illness since his early teens His dramatic story of living with mental illness is not uncommon to those of us who suffer from what can be a debilitating illness. But his story was not a tragic story. It was a story from doom and despair to hope and life. He talked of the common perception of feeling unloved when battling these types of illnesses. One of his saving graces was the love shown by his father as Pete worked through his struggles.
I talked with two families on the day of the walk who have survived the loss of their loved ones. Because the most common onset of mental illness is during late teens and early adulthood, it was not surprising that both families lost their loved ones at that time.
Nate Theis was twenty years old when his family lost him in this tragedy we call suicide. It has only a year and a half since his death. This is the family’s first walk with SAVE. They became involved with SAVE for the support that it gives to survivors. They also get a lot of support from each other. They said that everyday it gets a little easier. It was just so sudden. They had no idea this was coming.
Dee was eighteen years old when his family lost him to suicide. It has been three years since his death. They get their support from each other when the family gathers together. Dee’s grandmother thinks education is so crucial. SAVE educates about those warning signs and how to detect them. With Dee, the signs were too late.
That there were no warning signs or the warning signs were too late is a common story amongst SAVE members. That is why education about symptoms and warning signs are so important. That is SAVE’s primary mission and one of the founding goals of SJA’s Mental Illness Ministry.
Tom Driscoll(right) helped begin the SAVE Mental Health Walk. The Driscoll’s, Shirley, Tom, Nathaniel, and Luke lost there daughter Sheena to depression almost six years ago on August 17th, 2001. She would have been a senior at Southwest High School. Tom stated, “Mental Health is a gift.”
The total for this year’s walk are not in yet due to the storms that hit SAVE offices in Bloomington. Last year there were two hundred seventy five walkers and SAVE raised over $6,000. If you wish, they are still accepting donations at this time.
 and  |
 |
