"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." -Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Picture this: you're sitting on your bathroom floor, tears streaming down your cheeks, horrid thoughts clouding your mind. How did you get to this point? The point where you questioned living one more day ... Was it the people picking on you at school? Was it your girlfriend/boyfriend? Was it the stress of your everyday life?
Don't do it. Don't pop those pills, don't pull that trigger, don't tie that knot, don't sharpen that blade, don't take that leap.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages. Every 12.3 minutes someone takes their own life in the U.S. That's over 38,000 Americans every year.
Don't be a statistic.
Things will get better.
I know you're probably thinking, "Yeah, you can say that. You're not the one going through it."
You're right. I'm not the one going through your pain, but I have gone through a fair share of my own. I've been that girl on the bathroom floor. I've questioned my own existence. It's a scary thought, isn't it? The choice of being here one minute and being gone the next ... It's terrifying.
There's a tattoo on my wrist that says "Cont;nue". I have at least one person ask what it means every single day. Let me tell you: it is my way of telling myself, "Continue your life. Push forward. It'll get easier."
I'm sure a lot of you know about Blake Coatney ... If you don't, go Google him. Blake is my friend. He was a beautiful, kind soul. When he smiled, other people did too. His smile was contagious. He was always laughing, always cutting up. Blake took his own life July 21, 2014. Only a couple of months after we graduated high school. No one knew the amount of pain that Blake felt until his goodbye video went public. His mom posted his video online; she followed her son's wishes. He wanted people to hear his goodbye.
I remember receiving the news, the world seemed to stop spinning. How? Why? I became angry with God — I questioned why he would take Blake so soon; Blake had just begun living. But then I realized He had a much bigger plan. We all miss Blake, but his story will live on forever. He's touched lives, changed minds, saved people from their own thoughts.
Blake saved me. Seeing the way this affected his family and friends, I realized that I would never want my loved ones to hurt like that.
If you've been having suicidal thoughts, ask yourself, "Is this problem temporary or permanent? This reaction is a way to escape the problem, but is it worth taking my life along with it?" If you think it's worth it, please reach out. Please ask someone for help. Even if it's just advice on how to handle things. Don't end your life ... It's too precious of a gift.
You can contact the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or you can contact me through my Facebook. I will be more than happy to talk to you.
To Blake's family, y'all are some of the strongest people I know. Not only have you shared Blake's story to help other people, but you've never made it a pitiful story. You've kept Blake's true personality alive. Y'all have made sure that people know this was all unexpected. He was so outgoing, with the kindest heart. He was an amazing young man... 
To Blake, thank you for touching my life in a way I'll never forget. Your story is being shared, baby boy. You're changing lives. I can't wait to see you again someday. Love and miss you, so much.
