ONE Life

     A friend of our family went to Afganistan.  He was 20 years old.  He was a Marine.  His name was Dane.  He saw all the people that were dying, on his team and on the other team.   Other people got diseases.  He saw all that death, and got depressed. 

     Dane was so depressed that he couldn't eat or drink.   He had super bad dreams and got so scared when he got home.  One day he felt so depressed.  He told his mom "I'll feel better some day."  He was so sad that he got a pistol and he shot himself right in the heart. 

     He died.  The whole family was so, so sad. 

     There was a walk, a 5K, called "Walking out of the Darkness."  This was for helping suicide prevention.  Every fifteen minutes, people die of suicide.  That is not right.

 Dane's Family and my family walked in the 5K,
remembering Dane.
We look happy, but we were very sad.

     The Bible says not to kill.  That includes not killing yourself.  Dane was a Christian.  He went into the Marines because he wanted to help people.   He wanted to help our country.   But he was so depressed because of what he saw and maybe even what he did.  He didn't want to think about that anymore. 

     I wish I could have stopped him.  I wish I had prayed to God to help him not be so depressed.  If I was at his house, I wish I could have found his gun and took it out of his room.   I wish I could have spent time with Dane and comfort him.  But I didn't know he was going to kill himself.  Nobody knew.

 I think Dane is in Heaven.   He is not sad anymore.  He is with Abraham and Jesus in Paradise, with many Angels.  I did this walk because I hate suicide.   I want people to know they don't have to destroy themselves.  There is a friend who loves them, and someone can help them, but they have to tell that they are feeling like they want to kill themselves.  No one can read minds.   We only have one life, and we must not kill ourselves or it is wasted.   That is the reason I did the Walk.  Life is too precious to let it go.

In Memory of Dane


"You are the Light of the world, oh Lord,
And You make Your servants shine,
So how can there be any darkness in me,
If You are the Light of the World,
Yes, You are the Light of the world."
--song by Michael Card