CHARLOTTE, N.C.- On Saturday, Oct. 3, Martin and the rest of the women’s lacrosse program will participate in the Out of the Darkness community walk at Freedom Park to help raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, to fund research, education, survivor and awareness programs — both to prevent suicide and to assist those affected by suicide.
On February 8, 2009, Queens women’s lacrosse player Amanda Martin received a phone call from her mother that would forever change her life. Martin’s close friend, Krista, took her life earlier in the day.
“I was in complete disbelief,” said Martin. “I had no idea how to process the news. It didn’t feel real until I was sitting in the church and walking through the cemetery.”
Krista and Martin had been friends since preschool. The two grew up together in Geneva, N.Y., and Martin feels Christa was a huge influence on her life, “We played lacrosse together while we were growing up. We had a competitive relationship where we challenged each other to be better all the time. After she was gone, I pushed myself to be better for her.”
Suicide is a tragic event that touches a countless number of people every year. In the United States, someone commits suicide once every 16 minutes and makes an attempt every single minute. The most current statistics, from 2006, show that suicide is the third leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 15 and 24 and fourth overall for all deaths in America.
“Participating in the "Out of the Darkness" Community walk on October 3rd is more than just walking to raise money for suicide prevention because this topic hits home with a few girls on our team,” said head women’s lacrosse coach Megan Dennehy. “My hope is that our team of athletes can help put the word out that suicide can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or race.”
“There are still questions that don’t have answers and I think about her every day,” said Martin. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t upset at her. There were no warning signs from Krista and that is the thing with suicide. Sometimes it is so far below the surface, no one knows anything until it actually happens.”
“I wouldn’t wish this feeling on my worst enemy. I just want to get the word out there about how real suicide is and raise some money for the cause. If the money we raise can help to ease the pain of Krista’s family and anyone else who has been touched by suicide, it will be worth it.”
Anyone who is interested in participating in the Out of the Darkness community event on Saturday or other events can find more information here.