Personal Photo of Testimony Tuesday writer Tazora Dotie-Moore
This is a weekly staple affording our readers the opportunity to share their personal testimony regarding abuse, violence, disease, family, happiness, faith, jail time, obesity and mistakes made in your youth, just to name a few. In other words, let your testimony be a blessing to someone else attempting to overcome a particular avenue in life.
“Love at first sight is what I felt when initially meeting my husband. Finally a man that didn’t have any children! Not only was he emotionally available to receive my love, he also knew how to love and commit. Two years after meeting we said our vows, together forever were my thoughts.
On July 22, 2012 a month before our 3-year anniversary, I lost my husband Daryl Dwayne Moore to suicide. After the death of my husband I felt alone and had no one to turn to. I was now a single mother raising 3 children. During the day I put on a smile and go through my daily routine, while at night I would completely fall apart. I felt like I was living in an alternate universe; how could this happen to us, how could this happen to me! These and many other questions would go through my head including, was I to blame for his decision to just end it all? I often wondered how I missed the signs, however when reflecting back I can now see that there are many signals pointing to the detrimental state of Daryl’s mental health.
Daryl’s depression manifested itself in many different ways. There were times where he would be distant, sullen, and participate in self-destructive behavior. During those times I would question myself and my role as a wife. Why isn’t my love enough? Why can’t I make him happy? I was heartbroken because my love was not enough to soothe his mind or his heart.
Personal Photo of Testimony Tuesday writer Tazora Dotie-Moore
I felt like there wasn’t anyone in the world that would understand what I was going through, I really felt like I was alone, but I wasn’t. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people now die of suicide than in car accidents. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 from suicide.
In honor of the memory of my husband, I am dedicating my life to helping prevent suicide and to be a resource and comfort to people that have shared my experiences. I am the founder of the Hear My Cry Foundation a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.
One of our major projects entails putting together a curriculum for churches in the State of Texas. It is so important for our faith based institutions to have the proper tools in their arsenal when they encounter someone that is having suicidal thoughts. Hear My Cry Foundation is bridging the gap between mental health professionals and religion. They will be a resource to one another and build an amazing referral system in the process.
Suicide does not affect one person or one family, it affects the whole community. It also takes a community to help those in need to receive the love, support & care. It has been shown that 20% of us will experience a suicide within our immediate family, and 60% of us will personally know of someone who dies by suicide.
If you would like more information on how you can help bring awareness to suicide and mental illness please visit our website at Hear My Cry Foundation.
Together we can break the stigma and save lives from suicide.”
Written by Tazora Dotie-Moore, CEO
Hear My Cry Foundation