LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — David Hafley and his family are coming up on an especially difficult time on the calendar.
“Anniversaries are very difficult, very poignant, but they are also opportunities to see how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go,” Mr. Hafley said.
Hafley and his wife lost their son, Tom, to suicide nearly 10 years ago, in October of 2015.
“The first couple of years after a loss, any type of loss, you're dealing with shock and disbelief and trying to right yourself and understand what life is going to look like,” Hafley said. “Grieving in a non-linear process,” he added.
Wednesday is World Suicide Prevention Day. Naturally, it’s a day that means a lot to the Hafley family, but so did Sept. 8. That was 9-8-8 day to raise awareness for the 988-crisis hotline that’s available 24/7. Mr. Hafley works for the hotline fielding calls of distress.
“Often times calls are very reminiscent of what I know my child is experiencing and how acute those needs can be, and those calls are, I think, some of the most difficult calls because you hear echoes of your child's story,” he explained.
He said working for the hotline has been helpful during the grieving process, as has joining groups around town for the families who’ve lost loved ones to suicide. He’s thankful for the many resources that have been added over the years. He knows his son struggled with mental health issues as a teenager. He was 18 years old at the time of his death; a senior at Tates Creek High School.
“These are very challenging times for all of us. the pandemic and coming out of the pandemic,” Hafley said. “He tried very hard for a very long time to deal with mental health problems,” he continued.
David said he and his family will continue to seek advocacy and prevention efforts as they continue to travel this very non-linear path of grieving the loss of a child.
“It’s a life-long process. 10 years represents a significant milestone, but it’s less of a milestone in terms of a grieving landmark and more of a measurement of how far we’ve come as a community in terms of dealing with the epidemic of suicide,” he stated.
