The Tweet About Suicide and PTSD that Rang Around the World
Dear Battle Buddies,
It's me again. I'm back! Anyhow, I just want to thank you for all of your support. At the time of this writing, we have had 1,121 WARRIORS in the Battle against suicide reweet this post! Some as far away as Australia and Great Britain! I'm amazed. I'm thrilled. I'm flabbergasted. I'm shocked. I'm stunned. I'm elated. I'm hopeful.
Yeah, I've got a bunch of emotions going on.
But, I'm also sad. Sad that Michael isn't here to see what is going on with the Battle against the PTSD Monster. You see, Michael always encouraged my writing. He sometimes disagreed with me because he had a problem seeing what was going on inside his own head. The PTSD Monster would whisper things in his ears that were lies. He told him that things were NEVER going to get better. He told him that he wasn't worthy of my love. He told him that his family was against him. He told him that his kids were better off without him. He told him that he wasn't GOOD ENOUGH to continue living this life.
ALL BIG FAT LIES.
No matter how hard I tried, I COULD NOT convince him that these feelings that he felt were just symptoms of the PTSD and depression. He wasn't having it. The Monster inside of his head was bigger than the both of us.
I would get up every morning and figuratively put on my Combat Boots and get out my Pom-Poms and be his Warrior/Cheerleader. That paints quite a comical picture in your head, now doesn't it? However, that's how I felt.
I was FOREVER rooting for him to get through this while trying to help him battle the MONSTER.
Sadly, my efforts did not work. But I made a few promises to Michael that I vowed that I would keep. One is that I would "tell his story." However, I cannot do that without any listeners. The AMAZING support that I have received from you guys is heartwarming.
Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I HAVE A DREAM!
A DREAM that one day very soon, my writing will STOP one person from taking his or her own life. That someone will realize that I AM LISTENING and that so many of you are as well. That's why it's very important to me that TOGETHER we will be able to get Michael's story out. Whether it be through Tweeting, talking, emailing or through my Kickstarter project.
WE MUST END VETERAN SUICIDE.
I once read in a book that PLEASE and THANK YOU are always free. They are.
That's why I am politely asking you to retweet these two posts as many times as humanly possible. I want you to realize HOW DARN IMPORTANT it is to get awareness out and more importantly, FORCE CHANGE of how we treat those dealing with mental illness.
Michael was an AMAZING person. He was absolutely brilliant. He could fix anything. He could sing like no one's business. He was funny. He was handsome. He was the love of my life.
Michael's death is a DAMN SHAME!
However, that doesn't mean that we cannot stop someone else from doing what he did. Please join me in my Battle against the PTSD Monster and suicide.
Someone's life is dependent upon it.
My name is Lisa. My name is Leilani. I used to be a Warrior Lover. I now am a Warrior Widow. But I'm still a Warrior either way. Let's keep shooting our ammo against suicide. This is a battle that we MUST WIN!
