Another father lost

Sydney is 19. Jake is 17. Hunter is 12.

They were among the children across our country who lost a parent yesterday.

Most of these children are nameless and faceless to the public at large.

Sydney, Jake and Hunter are different.

Their dad’s death was breaking, national news.

Future Hall of Famer Junior Seau, a NFL linebacker from 1990 to 2010, chose to end his life, proving once again that suicide is not an epidemic contained to average Americans.

Suicide can take down people in every community. And it does annually, most recently slotting in as the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the 13th leading cause worldwide.

When it strikes, it’s always shocking and always heartbreaking.

The Seau children are numb today and they have a long road ahead as they discover their own, individual walk with grief after the loss of their dad.

But, if you have a chance to spare children you know from a similar road, don’t hesitate.

National and local resources are available if you have a loved one you believe is a risk for suicide.

Visit the Georgia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s great resource page by clicking this link.

Additionally, if you know children in Atlanta who have recently lost a parent or sibling to suicide, please contact Cynthia Daniel at [email protected] to make sure these children have an opportunity to access the grief resources Kate’s Club provides for children after the loss of a parent or sibling.