"'I love you, Mama. I promise you I am going to be all right. I am going to read my Bible. I love you and I will see you when you get home,'" Lane recalls Sydney saying.
Those were Sydney's last words to her mother. 14 year old Sydney Sanders committed suicide. She was discovered dead in her bedroom by her mother, Lane Sanders. It was a scene which forced Lane to abandon her home. The mother was so devastated, as every mother would, but the thing that was puzzling was the fact that Sydney didn’t seem suicidal. Lanes exact words were,"There were no signs. None. Never. None. Until after her death I discovered some that I never, well at the time think to be suicidal.

Imagine finding your best friend unconscious.

A brother.

A sister.

A loved one.

Tragic...right?

When friends and family hear their loved one has took their own life it hits their community, family and friends hard. It leaves loved ones wondering, why? Why would someone take their own life? Why would they turn to suicide? Why would someone do this to themselves? Committing suicide does not only hurt the victim, but also the loved ones they leave behind.

Nobody can change the past, but everyone could help change the future.

30,200. The number of people who are successful with committing suicide in a year.

2,000. The number in a day.

1. The number in minutes.

Unbelieveable is what some say, but it is simply reality. 1 in every 65,000 children from the ages of 10-14 have committed suicide each year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 years of age. The second leading cause of death in people from 24-35 years of age is (guess)...suicide.

Although there are many reason why one might harm themselves, the main cause of self harm is due to depression. Depression is a illness where people feel extremely hopeless and sad for a long period of time. Depression really affects the person with the condition and the people around them. Ones with such a serious illness like depression, are more likely to harm themselves. Personally I can understand how the majority of people who self harm have depression, because some in my family has depression. The family member suffers from depression and bipolarism, which is another type of condition related to depression. The family member had once attempted suicide. At this time everyone that knew her was greatly affected by her actions. It all began when her mother died. She was so close to her mother. The reason for their strong connection was because they lived across the world from each other. They never got to see each other. They communicated through the phone everyday, until September 13, 2011. That was the last time she ever talked to her mother. That month was very hard for her. That is when the depression really controlled her. She began to gain a lot of weight. She gave up on her appearance. She used to love to dress up, but after September 13th she stopped. She used to exercise and go outside everyday, but she began to go outside the least possible. She used to cook everyday for her family, but the she stopped and ordered take out. She pushed all her friends away and lost all of them. She became a complete different person. After a few months she attempted suicide. Her husband found her overdosing on some pills, with a knife in her hand. She was not successful with her intentions, fortunately. The point is depression is the main cause of suicide.

People are committing suicide every minute, day, and year. This needs to change, and together we can change this. Instead of 1 about every 16 minutes it could be 8. Instead of 2,000 a day it could become 1,000. We can influence these numbers. Weather it is big or small we can change it. One of the many ways help out is to raise awareness. This could be done in many different forms. Either a video, essay, or drawing that could be presented at school or any place with a community of people that care and listen. Another option is watching out for the people around you. As Lane Sanders stated, her daughter never showed signs of being suicidal, until after she did research. That option is handy because you can be aware of the serious symptoms and take action if you recognize them. Don’t make the mistake that Lane and many other people make, get educated, then educate others because we can make a difference.