How Living Hope Has Kept My Hope Alive

Author: Wesley Jones

As a member of the Living Hope team, we often talk about how effective we are at helping those around us. Yet what I will never forget about Living Hope is how it has helped me as a member. I joined LH a couple of years after surviving my own suicide attempt, and I was convinced that I had healed and found a purpose to invest myself in. As I reflect back on it now, I realize that I had it completely backwards. I was lost, and LH gave me the sense of purpose I desperately needed to begin healing. When the rest of my life was spiraling out of control and my mental health was reaching all-time lows, I knew that I still had the opportunity to make a difference through LH. I could show up at a meeting and be treated with kindness, respect, and appreciation for simply being who I am. I’ve never been asked to earn the support and positivity that the team exudes. My lived experience has from day one been treated as a sign of strength; something that I can use to understand those around me and create meaningful change. Volunteering with LH has been different from the rest of my life in that my lived experience doesn’t make me weaker. I am not judged for having trauma, for having to miss a meeting for therapy, or for not being entirely recovered. LH has been one of the only constants in my life these last few years, and I love knowing that every month I get to sit down among friends in a safe place and hammer out ideas on how to change the world. When I am unable to work due to my mental health, LH gives me the opportunity to feel that I still have value and am able to contribute something to society, and that means the world to me. I have made friends I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise, and my confidence in my ability to achieve has soared. As far as suicide prevention goes, Living Hope has done wonders to keep me in the land of the living, and I am eternally grateful.