After two years of decline, the suicide rate in the United States jumped again in 2022. In the Rochester area, there is a walk this weekend to help raise awareness about mental health and the potential signs of suicide. For one local woman, it’s personal.
Katelyn Zufall has something to share. Photos of her sister, Kaylee. Memories of good times are also painful.
“It’s hard to look through,” said Zufall, of Wyoming.
It also helps her heal. Kaylee died by suicide in January 2020. She was just 22 years old.
“She was super outgoing, really goofy and funny,” said her sister. “She was always down for a chaotic adventure, but after graduating, she really started struggling with her mental health.”
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., affecting nearly 50,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There are a lot of were a lot of warning signs that we didn't necessarily see because we didn't know about them,” said Zufall. “But now looking back, we're able to see those things like irritability, separating themselves from family and losing interest in things she loved.”
To honor her sister, Katelyn joined others who had suffered loss. In 2021, she attended her first Out of the Darkness walk in Buffalo. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention holds similar walks in communities across the country, raising money for mental health and suicide prevention programs — and raising awareness.
“It’s a lot because you walk in there and you're like, oh my goodness I'm not alone,” she said. “There are thousands of people that have gone through what I've gone through.”
This year, Zufall is the chair of AFSP’s Rochester Out of the Darkness walk, to be held Saturday, Oct. 7 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Penfield.
“It’s definitely a part of my healing journey,” she said. “Being able to hopefully help other families see the warning signs and not have to lose someone like my family did.”
It's a loss that will always hurt. But there’s comfort in knowing she’s not alone.