Tracks Watch

Day 128 – two years ago a kid in my daughter’s grade committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. A seventeen years old boy who in one moment lost his life, a family ruined forever. It is sad beyond comprehension. This suicide started a new “trend” in our town. A month, to the day after that boy died another teen, this time an 18 year old girl jumped in front of a train, at the same crossing. She was already been accepted to college and two weeks before high school graduation. Two months later another kid tried to jump and his mother caught him and fought with him, a stranger who passed by help her and they forced the kid off the tracks.
This phenomenon of several suicides at the same place and method within a very short period,  is called “cluster suicide”. And at that point, we as parents, realized what we are facing, and decided to put an end to it. We formed a group of volunteers and we just set there near the crossing and guarded it. To make sure that no more kids will jump. We set there until the last train passed at 1am, in two hours watches day and night, through the very cold winter. Many people who pass by honk to encourage us, or thank us. People brought hot drinks sometimes or just stopped and chat. We brought awareness, we brought the subject to the forefront and we sent a very clear message. Our children’s lives are so dear to us that we are ready to do whatever it takes to stop the madness. We are ready to lose sleep and comfort, we are willing to brave the elements and we will do whatever it takes to make sure they are safe. It was a campaign by very few people but it did what we set up to do. It stopped the cycle. After few months that we guarded the tracks the city authorities were embarrassed and decided to take over. They hired a security company and the tracks on that crossing are still guarded to this day. We will never know how many lives we have saved by that simple act of love, but I am so proud to have been part of that group. I am so happy we understood what it takes sometimes in fight to prevent acts of desperations.

Sadly I was reminded of this storytoday by a story of another suicide story that I just heard. Another 18 years old girl who decided to end her life. I have no words to express who much it pains me even though I never knew that girl. Too many such stories are coming our way. As my daughter just said – here everyone knows someone who got injured in the army (mostly in training) there, where we came from, everyone knows someone who committed suicide. How very sad, what an awful waste.

I am thankful for every precious life we managed to save, for those whom were actually stopped on the tracks and for who knows how many more who decided not to try. I feel privileged to be part of that special group. I am thankful we managed to convince enough people to admit their fear and take a stand to try to prevent these unbearable acts of desperation. I hope time brought some relieve to the kids and pointed them in a new direction.