|
|
          |
|
|
The Overnight 
A 20-mile walk through the night to end the silence surrounding suicide
Every 18 minutes in the United States, someone dies by suicide. On July 16, 2005, men and women came to Chicago from all over the country to do something bold in the face of this fact. They walked together 20 miles through the night, from dusk until dawn. The event was called the Out of the Darkness Overnight, designed to help shed light on the issue of suicide. We, the family and friends of Laurie, decided to participate with a team goal of raising $6,700 in Laurie's name. The team, Laurie's Legacy, grew in size from four members to an amazing 25 members by the time July 16th arrived. The event was an amazing success -- not just financially, but within the hearts of everyone who walked, who gave, and who came out to cheer. In the end, Team "Laurie's Legacy" was responsible for raising over $43,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The following account was written by Barb Kovacevich, Laurie's mother, just one day after the event: "Emotional does not adequately describe the experience of the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk. Overwhelming, maybe. "By 6:00 p.m. our team had already battled getting downtown among 60,000 rabid soccer fans, a few thousand more coming to hear the band Journey. The opening ceremony, though really hot, was filled with encouragement and stories and songs focused on why we were doing this, to bring suicide awareness out of the dark, to prevent suicide where we can, to survive the loss of someone we loved. At approximately 7:20 p.m. over 2,000 walkers began the journey. In the first five minutes of the walk we rounded the first turn that brought the Planetarium into full view. Katie and I had a good cry in each other's arms and then onward we walked north along Lake Shore Drive. "Our little band stayed together as well as we could pretty much until the first rest stop. What I loved was getting to meet the different team members we had only known via emails and phone calls: Giselle, Chris Neil, Randy Estes, Amy Groebel, Jessica, Jennifer, the other Kristin. And we met many others as we walked whose lives were dramatically changed by someone they loved taking their own life. Chris and Christa and grandsons Hayden and Reece were at about the 8 mile mark to cheer us on (and give us a good reason to take a little rest.) We reached the half way mark (10 miles, which I have never walked at one time) at almost midnight. Ouch, everything hurt. Did you ever realize that using a Porta Potty in complete darkness is high risk? "Katie managed to drop her glow stick light source right in, well, you know where. Oops. Dinner was provided at this rest stop which was somewhere near Foster and Lake Shore Drive. Chris Neil on our team had some Starbucks friends meet us and they came bearing much needed little cans of 'Double Shot Expresso'. For me, the caffeine jolt was just what I needed. The turn around back towards Soldier Field was daunting to face and our newly vaselined, mole-skinned feet trudged on. "At mile 15, ...being the mindful woman I am, I suggested maybe we call it a walk and get on the sweeper bus to be brought back to the holding area. We boarded the air conditioned bus, sank into the seats and after a about a minute and a half, Katie said, 'I am going to finish this.' Katie and I climbed off the bus and completed the hardest five miles, ever. All of us [came] straggling in any where from 4:30 to 5:30 a.m. but we did it! "The closing ceremonies were once again, emotionally draining but fulfilling. My gigantic blisters will go away; the memories and the way we could honor Laurie in a most dramatic way will stay with me forever. To all of you who prayed (Debbie, our all night prayer warrior, thank you!) , contributed, came to cheer us on, and especially, to you, our team Laurie's Legacy I am so thankful. Words, this time, can not express. I love you." Barb Kovacevich July 18, 2005 If you would like to respond to this story, please send an email to laurieboncimino@laurieboncimino.com. If you would like to contribute a donation, please visit our team page: Laurie's Legacy |