Your Health: Suicide loss survivors

with Photojournalist Ross Perry

E-mail: mrandall@abc6.com

Twitter: @MRandallABC6

NORTH SITUATE, R.I. (WLNE)—Wednesday night is the premier of the new ABC drama, A Million Little Things. The show seeks to address how suicide loss survivors come to terms with the loss of a loved one. It’s something one North Scituate family is still trying to figure out five years after their son took his life.

“When you loose a child, your child, it changes you for life. I’m not the same person I was. It changes you and you’ll never be that person again. Never,” said Stephen Luchka.

By all accounts, his son, Nathan, was a great kid.

“He was a compassionate, empathetic person and very sensitive to the needs of this world,” said Debbie Luchka.

Then, in 2013, at the age of 25, Nathan took his own life. In the days that followed his parents felt lost.

“There’s a lot of stigma with suicide and just talking about,” explained Mrs. Luchka.

“People are afraid of talking about it and it’s so prevalent,” said Mr. Luchka.

Eventually they turned to support group called, ‘Safe Place.’ It was created specifically for loved ones left behind by suicide.

“Going there, I think, and listening to people that had the same feelings and said the same words that we were thinking, feeling, it was a comfort to know that we weren’t alone,” said Mrs. Luchka.

But it wasn’t enough. Wanting a way to keep their sons memory alive, the North Scituate couple decided to include some of Nathan’s photography in an exhibition at ‘The Samaritans of Rhode Island.’ The images were from a trip he’d taken to Africa.

“I remember Deb saying, ‘If my son’s artwork was in everyone’s home then my son lives on,” recalls Denise Panichas, Executive Dir. of The Samaritans.

Panichas says participating in the ‘Forget Me Not Gallery’ helped the Luchka’s connect.

“Art has been a great introduction to the idea that it’s okay to remember with love. It’s okay to heal. It’s okay to be part of a community of people that understand what you’re going through,” she explained.

And as painful as it is to keep telling their story, Nathan’s parents say it’s important to talk about mental health, specifically depression. They continue to raise awareness and push for access to more professional services.

“I would like to send a message to anyone that is thinking about harming themselves that suicide is not a way out,” said Mrs. Luchka. “You need to talk to somebody. You need to tell somebody how you’re feeling.”

Last year in Rhode Island 120 people took their own lives, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.

There are resources to help. If you or someone you know needs support you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800–273–8255 or locally The Samaritans can be reached at 401–272–4044.

*** The 2017 figure, relating to the number of recorded suicide deaths in RI, is a preliminary number. It still needs to be finalized by the CDC.

*** Safe Place meets each Tuesday from 6:30- 8:00 pm at the First Unitarian Church Community Center, 1 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906.

(C) WLNE-TV 2018

Music provided by HookSound