09/01/2026
It is okay, to be not okay!!! #988
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL SU***DE PREVENTION MONTH
There was a time in my life when I didn’t want to die…
I just desperately wanted the pain to stop.
I know what it feels like to smile in front of people while falling apart inside. I know what it feels like to carry things you were never meant to carry alone. I know what it feels like to believe that everyone would be better off without you.
And I know how dangerous that place can become.
Today, I am still here.
And that is why I refuse to stay silent.
I have lost brothers and sisters in law enforcement, the military, and the first responder community to su***de. I have watched families be left behind with questions that will never be answered and pain that never completely goes away.
Every single one of those lives mattered.
YOUR LIFE MATTERS.
If you’re struggling right now, please hear me:
You are NOT weak because you need help.
You are NOT broken because you’re hurting.
You are NOT a burden.
And your worst day does NOT have to become your last day.
You don’t have to figure everything out tonight.
You just need to take the next step.
Tell someone. Make the call. Send the text. Walk through the door. Ask for help.
Because sometimes the strongest thing a warrior can do is admit, “I’m not okay.”
My mission is simple:
SMASH THE STIGMA.
BREAK THE SILENCE.
SAVE LIVES.
If you’re reading this and you’re struggling, I want you to know something I wish someone had told me when I was at my darkest:
There is still hope.
There is still a future.
And there is still a reason to stay.
Please don’t make a permanent decision because of a temporary moment of unbearable pain.
Stay.
Your family needs you.
Your brothers and sisters need you.
The people who love you need you.
And this world is better with you in it.
— Sgt. Michael Sugrue - Ret.
***dePreventionMonth ***dePrevention
