Neena Pacholke
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – We’re half way through September.
September is suicide prevention month.
The untimely loss of Neena Pacholke seems tragic and senseless. Yet if someone, anyone, remembers her and stops going down that dark path, her death won’t be in vain.
Her mother was quoted as saying that Neena contacted crisis services at least three times. One of the lessons is that seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a sign of strength. And Marathon County has a robust crisis response team. If someone accesses those services, their chances of getting the help they need is high.
The other important lesson comes from the DailyMail.com story. The tabloid reports that Neena was distraught because her fiancée called off their wedding. The article relies on unnamed sources, and seems gossipy and in poor taste. But it paints a picture of a would-be groom who was a womanizer, had a volatile temper, and had a drinking problem. Outsiders looking in would say she should have found a better life-partner.
I fully understand that calling off a destination wedding that friends and family have already make travel arrangement for, and untangling the buying of a luxury house before being married, are complications. Yet they are not worth ending your life over.
Suppose the next person in Neena’s life was her perfect one, a true love who would have brought lasting happiness for the rest of her life? That is why suicide is tragic. The circumstances of our lives; career, finances, feelings, friendships, loves, are constantly changing. Ending one’s life shuts down all the possibilities that things might be different.
I will end today’s commentary by reminding everyone that the nationwide suicide prevention number is 9-8-8. If you need to, please use it.
Chris Conley
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