It is “essential” for Pieta House to raise funds at their annual ‘Darkness into Light’ walk to continue supporting those affected by suicide, one organiser has said.
This year’s walk will take place on Saturday May 6th as people begin walking in the early hours of the morning in darkness until the sun rises.
The main walk will take place in Phoenix Park with over 100,000 people in over 200 locations across the country.
Sharon Murphy, a walk organiser who lost her husband, Dave, to suicide in 2004, said the walk is an “amazing, uplifting experience”.
She told The Pat Kenny Show when her husband died 19 years ago, there was much more “stigma” surrounding suicide.
“I questioned myself how I didn't see it coming, but there was no help,” she said. “The only service around was probably the Samaritans, but how available they were was probably not as good as what Pieta has now.”
Ms Murphy said she was told not to tell her children the true cause of their father’s death – but she didn’t want to hide the truth from her children or not offer them support.
“That's why I'm such an advocate now,” she said. “Especially with the Darkness into Light work.”
Ms Murphy organises the annual walk in Naas and describes the sea of yellow Pieta t-shirts that people wear at each walk like her “comfort blanket”.
“Once a year, I get to remember Dave,” she said.
Fundraising
Ms Murphy said the walk is “essential” to raise funds for Pieta House.
“Without that service, I think we could have a lot more unnecessary deaths,” she said.
“If I can reach one person once a year by just being there, and even comfort people who lost someone to suicide, to me that’s huge.”
Psychotherapist and clinical manager for Pieta House Leigh Kenny told The Pat Kenny Show 80% of Pieta House’s finances come from donations.
“We wouldn't be able to do what we do for free if it wasn't for the generosity of the public,” she said.
Services offered by Pieta House
Ms Kenny explained the variety of services Pieta House offers to those affected by suicide and mental health issues.
“We have our one-to-one bereavement counselling and our suicide liaison bereavement service,” she said. “That means a member of our team will go out to the public if there is a suicide within the community, or a family at least.”
“They'll wrap that blanket around that family at that moment.”
Pieta House also offers specialist counselling for self-harm and an ‘Amber Flag’ programme in schools to encourage young people to understand mental health and allow them to speak in safe spaces.
Pieta House contact lines:
24-hour freephone crisis helpline: 1800 247 247
Therapy Services team: 0818 111 126
Text counselling: Text HELP to 51444
