POSTED: Monday, April 28, 2008 -- 9:00pm

(The following is Pat Derer's personal experience with suicide. Pat co-founded HOPES in 1998. This is Pat's story in her own words.)

His two dogs were running loose and there was a real funny smell in the house. And, then, I saw a note, on the counter, saying where he wanted some of his possessions to go.

I started running through the entire place, and he didn't answer. So, the only place left was the garage. And, he was in there, with his blanket and pillow. He had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I lost my son and it's going to be 11-years on Father's Day this year. He was 22.

I thought everything was OK, but apparently, it wasn't. He was hiding it all I don't even think he knew he was depressed. If I was given more information as to the signs of depression, what to look for, I probably could have helped him more.

Because I lost Daryl, I knew that reason, for me to go on, was to make a difference for other people. That's what HOPES is all about. We're trying to help others. We have to help others. It's HOPES: Helping Others Prevent and Educate about Suicide.

Statistics show that people who die by suicide, they really didn't want to die. It's just that they had so much pain inside, they didn't know how to handle it and they didn't know what to do.

We need to be able to look out for each other. Accept each other for who they are and help. It's the people who get left behind that have to deal with all of this. It just doesn't have to be, I firmly believe that.
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This Saturday, May 3, is HOPES 10th annual Walk for Awareness. It starts at 10 am in Olin-Turville Park in Madison.

For registration information click on NEWS LINKS.
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If you are feeling down on life, or know someone who is, help is just a phone call away. A list of local resources is posted on NEWS LINKS.