Will To Live

Today is Suicide Awareness day and the fact is Suicide isn’t a joke

1.000.000 people commit suicide every year, 750.000 more attempt suicide.  1 in 5 teenagers has thought about suicide, about 1 in 6 teenagers have made plans for suicide, and more than 1 in 12 teenagers have attempted suicide in the last year. As many as 8 out of 10 teenagers who have committed suicide tried to ask for help in some way before actually committing suicide.

80% of these people suffer major depression; most of them show no sign of it. They walk the hallways wearing a mask they call a smile.

A person commits suicide every 40 seconds. Every 41 seconds a person is left to try and make sense of what happened.

 Take a minute to think of the person you love the most or even the person sitting next to you this very moment, really think..... Tomorrow you get the terrible news; He or She has just taken their own life. Your heart drops, smashing into a million pieces when it hits the floor; you are left with just one question: "WHY?"

 But you can't go back and ask, what's done is done. It leaves your heart with a scar knowing you could have saved them, you could have helped them. It leaves you wondering how could you have not seen how much they were hurting. This person you loved and thought you knew so well, gone. How could they hide their pain so well?

BUT I’m NOT here to talk about facts today Im here to talk about the Will To Live foundation.

A foundation set up by the Trautweins, after their 15 year old son and my first ever friend, Will committed suicide October 15^th 2010. It’s a place where young teens can go to get help, where they can explain how difficult life can be. They get to share their personal experiences of suicide with others. These young adults become more than friends, they become “Life TeamMates”, they help each other through the day, on and off the field.

The WTL have yearly 5k runs/walks to raise money for their foundation, to keep these kids away from danger. Mr Trautwein goes into sports clubs and meetings to spread the message, to raise awareness about Teen Suicide. He teaches these teens to NEVER give up, that you can’t quit. When you have a bad day there is ALWAYS someone there, even if that day you feel like there isn’t. That as Life TeamMates we all need to listen a little better and to be more open when explaining how we feel, that we don’t have to be scared, ashamed or embarrassed to say “I NEED HELP” there’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re struggling.  Their job is to help spread the WTL message to as many countries as possible!!

 

They also have a WTL Lacrosse(who finished runners up in 2012) and baseball team for kids ages 10 to 18 wearing uniforms with the WTL logo on them, proudly explaining the ‘Life TeamMates’ message and the importance of loving your team mates on and off the field. To let teens know they are not alone, there’s always someone there willing to listen and help.

The motto of the Will-To-Live Foundation: “FOR THE KIDS, THROUGH THE KIDS, BY THE KIDS,” The motto of Life TeamMates: “LOVE YA MAN!”

 

 

        MR TRAUTWEIN AND THE FOUNDATION, ENCOURAGES THESE KIDS TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER. HE TEACHES THEM TO RECOGNIZE THAT AS TEENAGERS, THEY HAVE ALREADY MET SOME OF THE GREATEST FRIENDS OF THEIR LIVES – THEIR LIFE TEAMMATES!  IF THEY CAN RECOGNIZE THAT FACT, THAN PERHAPS THEY’LL BE MORE READY TO REACH OUT TO THESE LIFE TEAMMATES WHEN IN NEED.  EVERYONE AGREES, IT’S ALWAYS EASIER TO TALK TO A CLOSE FRIEND – SO THE WTL FOUNDATION PROMOTES THIS CONCEPT OF TEACHING KIDS TO BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER. THE FOUNDATION ALSO WORKS HARD TO TEACH PARENTS AND ADULTS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE TEENAGERS TODAY ARE GENERALLY LIVING IN A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT WORLD - YES MORE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST, BUT WITH THESE OPPORTUNITIES COME GREAT PRESSURES THAT THEIR PARENTS FACED AT AN OLDER AGE.  THE FOUNDATION FEELS IT'S IMPORTANT FOR KIDS TO HEAR THEIR PARENTS AGREE THAT "LIFE IS HARD" FOR KIDS TODAY - BUT TOGETHER THEY ARE STRONGER.

 

Together we CAN put a stop to Teen Suicide!!

Love Ya Man!