For the Johnson family, Thanksgiving is for turkey, Black Friday is for shopping and the Saturday after Thanksgiving is about honoring and remembering their son and brother, Connor.
For the Johnson family, Thanksgiving is for turkey, Black Friday is for shopping and the Saturday after Thanksgiving is about honoring and remembering their son and brother, Connor.
“Saturday, get out there with friends and family and walk and talk about the things that matters, more deep and meaningful conversations,” said Emily West, Connor’s sister.
Back in 2016, West lost her brother Connor to suicide. To this day, she describes Connor in a way only a loving sister can.
“Connor is an amazing human being, an amazing spirit,” West said, adding that he did have his own struggles he was dealing with. “He did deal with mental health, anxiety depression, he dealt with some substance abuse issues and did eventually take his own life.”
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But she describes her brother, despite his struggles, as a helper. So for the last three years, the Johnson family has honored him in a way they hope is helping others.
“We wanted to turn Connor's life and his dreams of helping people, into honor Connor, hold on to hope,” West said.
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On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, since 2020, from 10 a.m. to noon, the family has invited people to register to walk, in person or virtually in an annual “Walk and talk.”
The free event offers conversation starters, reminders to remain judgement-free and space to simply talk about topics centered around mental health. The Johnson family hopes important conversations happen between family or friends, preventing people from feeling alone.
“'How can I help you, how can I support you through this, I want you to have better days, I want you to have hope,'" West said.
So at a time when families are gathered together for Thanksgiving… “Let’s keep having those deeper conversations, lets continue to spread hope, those deeper conversations actually will prevent suicide loss,” West said.
For more information about Honor Connor, click here. You can also find out more about events they're holding here.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP:
Lifeline Chat and Text, a service of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline), at 9-8-8 provides people in distress or those around them, with 24-hour support. People can call or text 9-8-8 to connect with crisis counselors.
In Connecticut, Infoline is available by dialing 2-1-1 from anywhere in the state. Callers can speak to a caseworker who can help make it easier to find information, discover options or deal with a crisis. Infoline is certified by the American Association of Suicidology.
More information on help that is available can be found online here.
