LIHUE — Cloudy skies gathered in the distance as a small but determined group of community leaders stood on Friday at the corner of Ahukini Road and Kapule Highway, waving to passing motorists and holding colorful signs with words of
LIHUE — Cloudy skies gathered in the distance as a small but determined group of community leaders stood on Friday at the corner of Ahukini Road and Kapule Highway, waving to passing motorists and holding colorful signs with words of encouragement.
It was a day that, many of them said, was the perfect time to celebrate life and combat an islandwide issue that is difficult to get out in the open: suicide.
“Just keep swimming,” “Life is valuable,” and “Hakuna Matata” were among the messages written on the signs held by members of Life’s Bridges and Kauai Leaders Against Suicide, a student-led group from Kauai High School, as uplifting songs played in the background.
“As you can see, our focus is not on dying — our focus is on living and helping people think about living with hope past the moment,” Kauai Leaders Against Suicide coordinator Bridget Arume said as she waved to drivers passing by. “When we look at the statistics for Kauai, we noticed that the youth are a smaller number that show up on the radar, but it’s their parents and grandparents. We feel like, as youth, we have the opportunity to reach out to all people of all ages and say, ‘There’s hope and there’s help.’”
In all, five suicides have taken place so far this year — a particularly concerning trend, considering that a total of six took place last year, said Life’s Bridges Executive Director Gina Kaulukukui.
“This idea that somebody would go so low as to want to give up is really terrible, so hopefully, I am able to make someone’s day just a little bit brighter out here,” Kauai High School sophomore and Kauai Leaders Against Suicide member Laura Koga said. “Sometimes, that person just needs that one idea that it’s not time to give up, and that’s what I’m hoping to do.”
Although there is no easy or clear answer to the root cause of suicidal thoughts, the key, Arume said, is for people to reach out and seek help.
“For some, they’re raised to not talk about death, dying, bachi, and all that kind of stuff, so that’s why we want to say it’s really about living and not about dying — it’s about not choosing suicide, but if you have those thoughts, reach out and get help,” Arume said. “It’s really about saving lives and keeping people alive.”
And that is why programs like Kauai Leaders Against Suicide and Life’s Bridges are so important, Arume said.
According to a 2011 survey administered by the state Departments of Education and Health, about 19.2 percent of all middle school students on Kauai reported that they thought about suicide at some time in their life. About 12.4 percent of all middle school students on the island, according to the survey, made suicide plans at some point in their life.
“I know that it hurts and I know the sting stays a little longer than anybody really thinks of it because it’s not a natural death,” said Arume, who lost her boyfriend in high school to suicide. “My passion has always been with parenting and helping parents deal with their kids who have ideas of suicide, and now, this is the opportunity for me to work directly with teens and have them address that and other unhealthy issues.”
Kauai Police Department Chief Darryl Perry, who lost his son to suicide, said the fight against it is a personal one for him.
“I wish there was more that I could do, but this is a start and I am so happy that there are so many volunteers out here to bring awareness to suicide prevention,” Perry said. “It crosses all social groups from the very rich to the very poor.”
And every person that can be helped, Koga said, matters.
“Life is valuable — you have a chance to make a difference,” Koga said. “Your ideas, your thoughts, and your feelings all matter and they’re important to somebody. Maybe you don’t see it now, but once you’re gone, you’re not going to be able to understand that those people really care for you and that you can make a difference — if you give up now, you can never make that change and that possibility happen.”
For help, call the anonymous National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
