I turned around to see a masked man pointing a gun at me. It was just the beginning of a series of events, including robbery and abduction, which changed my life forever. I Need Blue, hosted by Jen Lee, is a podcast series featuring lived-experiences from survivors of life events. I NEED BLUE creates space for survivors of trauma to feel they BELONG, are LOVED, UNDERSTOOD and EMPOWERED! I called 9-1-1 and they provided me with life-saving directions to help my customer who was having a medical emergency. Law enforcement rescued us and caught the robber. Our first-responders face unique traumas every day. I NEED BLUE provides space for them too!
https://ineedblue.net/
episode 17: Episode 17 Leslie, A Survivor of Blue Suicide, Shares Her Story
As of Aug 21st, 2021, 89 law enforcement officers in the United States have died by suicide, according to Blue H.E.L.P., a nonprofit that keeps these statistics. It's a quiet epidemic.
Today's episode touches upon a topic we haven't discussed before. Death by suicide is sudden sometimes violent, and usually unexpected. Leslie is the surviving spouse of Thomas Forbes EOW June, 6 2011, Groton City Police Department.
SBS - Survivors of Blue Suicide Foundation was created in 2020. We foster hope, by uniting survivors of law enforcement suicide, to support one another and honor our fallen heroes. That is truly our mission as survivors, surviving families and coworkers.
Today representing SBS , is Laurie Putnam, co-founder and director of services and outreach for Survivors of Blue Suicide Foundation. Check out https://www.survivorsofbluesuicide.org/
I start this story by asking Leslie to share some details about her relationship with her husband.
Leslie said, "It always surprises me that my heart starts beating so rapidly when I start to share the story. It’s not from nerves. I think the body just holds on to all these feelings which day to day we're not even aware of. When I start to say his name, my heart gets so filled with memories and love. We were great together. We were married 31 years. Within our small community, I was a teacher, I still am a teacher. He was the police officer. We were very dedicated and well known in our community. We felt like we were living the dream of both our passions through our jobs and our family together. We were a very typical, strong loving group, the four of us.
I asked, "As the spouse, watching your husband go through this, did you ever feel helpless?
Leslie responded, "He first became a police officer in 1980 or 1981. At that time, the stigma of “you don't let your emotions get the better of you”, as a husband, as a father, and as a friend. He was the one we all depended upon. He was strong, he seemed fearless. If we needed anything, he was our go to person. I didn't know to help him. I honestly did not know we were at that point where he was considering suicide. It's hard for me to think it was a plan. In my heart, in my mind, I think it was this impromptu, suddenly thought that he couldn't take back on the morning he died by suicide.
Join me in supporting Leslie, her family, community, and the SBS Foundation in shedding awareness on the Blue suicide epidemic. Included in the conversation are resources and groups available for survivors to share. SBS provides a safe and nurturing environment for healing and dealing. As Leslie said, SBS was a life saver!
https://www.survivorsofbluesuicide.org/
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