Elk City grandmother is walking in granddaughter’s honor
The Rays of Love Suicide Prevention Walk will be held on Saturday, September 21, at the Ackley Park West Walking Track.
Registration begins at 8 am, and the walk will start at 10 am.
September is National Suicide Awareness Month.
According to the Center for Disease Control, suicide deaths among Americans rose 37% from 20002018.
Those numbers decreased by 5% from 2018 to 2020 but returned to their peak in 2022.
Although numbers for the last two years have not been thoroughly analyzed and released to the public, experts say they have increased.
Studies show that at least 13.2 million Americans have seriously thought about suicide, 3.8 million have made a suicide plan, and 1.6 have attempted suicide.
In 2022, 49,000 Americans died by suicide. There was one suicide death every 11 minutes.
The uptick is particularly being seen in rural areas and among teenagers and young adults.
Elk City grandmother Jackie Anderson knows well the pain that encompasses a family after losing a loved one in this tragic manner.
On August 26, her vibrant 17-year-old granddaughter Joyis Jones was lost to this epidemic.
She plans to walk on Saturday in her granddaughter’s memory, reach out to others, and spread love when so many feel isolated and hopeless.
“I want you to write about Joyis and this walk and that September is Suicide Prevention Month,” Anderson stressed. “For one reason, I want Joyis remembered for the incredible soul that she was. I hate even using it in past tense because, to me, it is still what an incredible soul she was. They picked the perfect name for her because Joy is what she has been since the day she came into this world. She was this sweetness, this little angel, that I cannot even really describe. Her voice was soft and tender. She naturally put others before herself, whether her family, friends, or strangers. Her smile reminded me all the time that goodness existed in this world. But the other reason I want you to write about this is to make sure our loss can help others from going through the same thing. That is the best way to honor Joyis because she always helps someone else. I promise, there were not days in her short life that she didn’t do something for at least one other person, but most of the time, she spent all doing it without even thinking of it. It was just how she existed in this world — naturally putting her hand out to lift someone else.”
While Anderson says she and the rest of Joyis’s loved ones were jolted when Joyis died, it also awakened her to the broader problem.
“I bet in September alone, Suicide Awareness Month of all times, I have heard of ten suicide deaths in Western Oklahoma already. Those are just the ones I have heard about. Who knows how many people are out there really struggling, not knowing where to get help or even how to be honest with their loved ones? There is a stigma about mental health struggles, but we need to remove that,” Anderson said.
Anderson, a lifelong Christian, says her grief for her granddaughter is constantly evolving her previous beliefs on this issue.
“Being raised in the church, I was taught one thing about suicide and always believed that. But I see now there is a lot more to this issue. People are hurting. But because so many of us have seen this issue in that light, I think some people feel almost ashamed that they are dealing with those thoughts. We have to work together to remove that. We must be kind to each other and understand that we sometimes do our best to get through the day. And we must let each other know just how important we are to each other. If someone struggling reads this article, let me tell you something — you are needed. I know you wouldn’t be intending to hurt your loved ones and that your pain is so big that you can’t see past it. But we can get each other there. You will feel joy again. Your life is valuable. Even if I don’t know you, I want you to get through it. Anyone reading this can reach out to me anytime, and I will be happy to be your rock. I may need you to be my rock on down the road. That is what God gave us other people for — to help and love each other,” Anderson explained.
Jones is active not only in her grandchildren’s and nieces’ and nephews’ lives but also in the lives of children within the community. She says her most significant concern with suicide prevention is with young people.
“This new generation just has so many things they are dealing with that we didn’t. They never get a break with the internet being what it is. And, as adults, we don’t really know how to deal with it ourselves, so we sure don’t know how to help our kids. But we have to. We got to reconnect like we used to. Go to those family reunions. Young people, seek your elders. But elders know that our kids are dealing with a lot of these issues. We are all in this thing together,” Anderson stated.
