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LOSING SOMEONE TO SUICIDE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOSING A LOVED ONE TO AN ILLNESS, AN ACCIDENT, OR THROUGH NATURAL CAUSES. FOLLOWING A SUICIDE THERE IS SO MUCH ATTENTION AROUND THE ACTUAL LOSS, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SURVIVING THE LOSS DON’T GET THE ATTENTION AND SUPPORT THEY NEED.”

- VICKI HOPKINS

Hopkins started running 12 years ago to help her rebound from postpartum depression. Although she enjoys the activity, she doesn’t do it regularly.

“I have knee pain and scar tissue from tearing a meniscus in taekwondo back in middle school,” she says. “The week before the Chicago Marathon I told my doctor, ‘I’m going to run either way, but will I severely injure myself by running this?’ He said not to make any sudden movements and stay on level ground.”

Part of the reason Hopkins runs marathons to promote mental health is because she finds that completing a marathon is more mental than physical. This is especially true when you’re slower.

“When you’re running for five or six hours straight, you need mental fortitude to get through that,” Hopkins says. “Plus, it’s a good time to think. Running is meditative.”

The difficult factor in any mental health issue is that it’s not visible the way physical ailments are, and we can’t possibly know just by looking at someone what they are thinking.

“Losing someone to suicide is not the same as losing a loved one to an illness, an accident, or through natural causes,” Hopkins says.

“Following a suicide there is so much attention around the actual loss, but the people who are surviving the loss don’t get the attention and support they need.”

Research shows that it takes suicide loss survivors an average of four years to reach out for assistance after suffering the loss. In addition, loss survivors are more likely to die by suicide themselves.

At the time her dad died, Hopkins didn’t know anyone else who had dealt with suicide loss, but that’s no longer the case. Hopkins found it therapeutic to connect with other suicide loss survivors through the AFSP.

“It was so powerful to talk about things with them that you can’t with people who haven’t experienced this type of loss,” she says.

Hopkins is frustrated by the lack of mental health resources in this country.

“Therapy often isn’t affordable or even accessible,” she says. “Plus, there’s a severe lack of mental health professionals. There’s nothing more disheartening than being in the midst of mental health crisis and being told that there’s a six-month wait list. That’s an eternity when you can’t think about what’s going to happen in the next hour.”

Mostly, Hopkins just wants people to feel less alone.

“Literally everyone has struggles,” she says. “Just not everyone is open about it.”

This is precisely why Hopkins is passionate about raising money and awareness for the AFSP. She wants to make known all of the resources that do exist, so people can utilize them.

To connect with Hopkins, email vrhopkins25@gmail.com. If you’ve lost someone to suicide, a support group for suicide survivors meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville. For more information, call Sharon Samsell at 812878-2034.

If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, text 988 for crisis support. Use this QR code if you’d like to donate to Hopkins’ New York City AFSP race.