Update: Tinu Sparkles ~ A Walk In Honor of Tinuola Olateju

by SLY on September 21st, 2010

A few days ago I wrote about a small group of Tinu’s friends who were participating in an Out of Darkness walk in her honor for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Their group was called Tinu’s Sparkles. One of her best friend’s mother contacted me sharing information about the walk and even some stories regarding their experiences visiting Tinu’s grave.

I must say I intended to write quite a bit this month regarding suicide prevention and teenagers and depression and hope and all this difficult stuff but also beautiful things like life and joy and happiness. But I must admit it has been challenging and difficult.

I get very emotional. Even above, writing, “Tinu’s grave” is just so hard. Because when I write that it immediate brings me back to the day of her funeral and that was a HARD day. Those moments are etched in my brain and there is nothing that can make those images better. I watched one of my best friends and her siblings each shovel a scoop of dirt on their teenage sister’s coffin as it was lowered in the ground. I heard Lola plead with Jeremiah to keep singing because she didn’t want there to be silence as the coffin was lowered. I saw Brianna raise her head to the sky as the rain poured down. I saw Kelsey literally holding Peju up because she didn’t have the strength to stand. So to even write, “Tinu’s grave” is just so freaking hard!

Moving on….I must, if I’m going to post an update regarding the walk.

I received this email.

Just a quick update. We ended up with 13 walkers. We raised at least our goal of $500. I won’t know a final tally until all of the off line donations are tallied. If we can raise this amount without trying imagine the difference we could make by really trying!

On the ride home the girls were talking about doing it next year. They want to make it bigger and start working on it sooner. I am very curious about the aftershock that take place at their school. I am sure there are more kids that would have liked to participate. They were all very touched. Jaime was very interested in listening to the speakers and made a point to do so (I found this impressive coming from a 15 year old).

A guy from Minnesota (Wade) is currently in the top 15 on “The Apprentice”. He lost a sister to suicide. He had a team and did the walk and was one of the speakers. His talk included “commercials” for the show (we figured it was required as long as he is on the show) but he was able to “drive home” how global the issue is.

A tidbit we found interesting: the leading method of suicide in women is poison. (I’m not sure what the leading cause is for teenagers ~ SLY)

Thank you for your support (such a “simple” word for such a soul felt matter)! Talking, spreading the word and removing the darkness from the stigma is key in calming this epidemic of suicide being a solution. It is also extremely important to have more training for professionals dealing with potentially suicidal people in order to get the “right” questions asked so those potentially fatal flags can get raised.

Attached are some photos from the walk on Sunday. The girls wearing their shirts at the walk, the shirts after they were made (they kind of look like they have spots but it is fabric glitter paint so the shirts sparkled and the other paint was neon colors…VERY stiking look!), and then the team of walkers. We are all still pensive about the experience. Very moving.

S.M.