IB Woman Walks Golden Gate Bridge Overnight for Suicide Prevention

On the evening of June 9th, Imperial Beach resident Jessica van der Stad set out on a journey like no other.

With the sun setting over the Golden Gate Bridge, the 26-year-old joined more than 2,000 people from across the nation to participate in the 2012 Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in San Francisco.

Their goal: to walk 18 miles throughout the night to increase awareness of depression, honor loved ones lost to suicide and raise funds to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

“I remember the day like it was yesterday,” Jessica says. “I got a call and the second I heard those words – your dad shot himself – I knew my world was never going to be the same.”

On August 4, 2008, Jessica’s father, Nick van der Stad, was found in the backyard of his home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Jessica would later learn that her dad had battled depression all of his life, something he kept hidden from everyone he knew, including his own daughter.

“To me, he always seemed happy and on top of the world,” Jessica explains. “I knew he had lost his job a few months prior, but he kept telling me everything was fine. There wasn't a day that I thought that he wouldn’t be there to protect me.”

According to the San Diego Suicide Prevention Council (SPC), in 2010 there were 372 deaths by suicide in San Diego County. The SPC reports 90 percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental illness at the time of their death and 60 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression – the most treatable mental illness.

“I don’t want my dad’s death to just be another number,” Jessica explains. “I want my dad’s story, his life, to go on and encourage those who struggle to break the silence and seek help. Depression is not a weakness, it is a medical illness.”

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) holds the annual Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in different cities as part of their national efforts to raise money for suicide prevention research, advocacy and education and awareness programs.

This year the 18-mile event was held in San Francisco, beginning at Fort Mason at sunset and continuing through sunrise. This event has raised over $2.3 million to date.

“It is an experience I will never forget and has renewed my commitment to this organization,” explains Jessica. “I met so many people throughout the night who, like me, had lost someone to suicide. But I also met people who at one point had attempted to take their own lives. For whatever reason, they are still here. Hearing those stories, made me realize that we are saving lives.”

“The problem with suicide is that it never leaves you,” says Jessica. “I am now 26-years-old and I don’t have a dad. When I get married in the future, my dad won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. When I have children, they won’t have a grandfather. That is something I think about every single day. But strength comes in turning your pain and grief into an opportunity to help others.”

For more information about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), including how to participate in the upcoming Oct. 20 Out of the Darkness 5K Walk in San Diego, please visit afsp.org/sandiego

For anyone in a crisis, please call the Access & Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240. Other resources related to mental health are available at the It’s Up to Us, San Diego website: www.Up2SD.org.

- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention