Kristie Lau lost her brother to suicide almost two years ago, but the pain of the event is still raw and just beneath the surface of her everyday life.

Saturday, October 20, 2001

Kristie Lau lost her brother to suicide almost two years ago, but the pain of the event is still raw and just beneath the surface of her everyday life.

Now Lau is trying to channel that pain and bewilderment into something positive – the organizing of a local Light for Life Foundation chapter to help prevent suicide and offer support to families that deal with it.

&uot;My life and the lives in my family will never be the same. We’ll be dealing with my brother’s suicide for the rest of our lives,&uot; Lau said. &uot;What this organization does is offer people the chance to learn how to stop suicides from happening – and it could in any family.&uot;

Lau is working with a nearby chapter in Mankato to learn how to get started. She is learning about Light for Life from Rachel Schott, executive director for the state. Schott too lost her brother to suicide.

&uot;I was just like Kristie (Lau) because I was looking for something positive to do with all my grief energy,&uot; Schott said. &uot;I found Light for Life, and now I’m helping to save lives.&uot;

Every community can benefit from a Light for Life chapter. Suicide is a universal problem, she said.

&uot;There’s a stigma that surrounds suicide. It affects every community, but, at the same time, so many people are not educated to the warning signs,&uot; Schott said. &uot;Light for Life really goes after the education aspect of suicide prevention.&uot;

Through the use of a tried-and-true program called &uot;Yellow Ribbon,&uot; Light for Life members learn how to give suicide presentations to schools, churches, and community organizations. Teachers, health professionals, law enforcement, counselors and ministers of the community are also encouraged to get involved, Schott said.

&uot;A good chapter is more than just a support group. It involves a lot of community outreach, fundraising and advocacy,&uot; she said. &uot;It requires a lot of involvement and cooperation.&uot;

The most important message of Light for Life is that suicide is preventable. Studies show that the vast majority of attempted suicides involve mental illness, especially depression.

&uot;Suicide is 95 percent preventable, because mental illness is treatable. The key is noticing the signs and learning how to respond to them,&uot; Schott said.

The aggressive &uot;Yellow Ribbon&uot; program is balanced by the support the organization offers to affected families and friends.

&uot;The hardest part of dealing with a suicide is the guilt and all the unanswered questions,&uot; Lau said. &uot;I could’ve used some help with that after my brother’s death, and I still could.&uot;

As Lau works to get the local chapter started, she feels some consolation from the effort to help the suicide prevention cause.

&uot;My goal is to at least make one good thing happen out of losing my brother. No one should have to go through what my family and I have suffered,&uot; she said.