International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day: For Wanda

This Saturday is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. To find an event in your area, click here. 

In May of 2014, my mother, Wanda Lynn Carter, took her own life after decades of battling severe depression and substance abuse issues. To honor her memory and as a way to say goodbye, I took a portion of her ashes and spread them at seven beautiful locations around the world, one place for each year it had been since we’d seen one another.

Told from my family’s point of view, the film I made about that experience is a raw and honest portrayal of the pain we went through while watching the woman we loved slowly destroy herself. It’s about grief and how we say goodbye, but most of all it’s about love and the things we choose to carry with us.

I released the film on the Internet on September 10, 2015, which was World Suicide Prevention Day. I hope it serves as a tool to spread awareness and encourage compassion for people living with mental illness in the world today.

The burden that is mental illness shrouds many of us in darkness, but it is not a death sentence. We must fight each day to stay here. For those who discover this film and are hurting, please know that you are not alone. You are loved and you matter more than you could possibly know.

You can watch the trailer below or the full video here.