A story of hope in the pain of loss When she lost her partner Adam to suicide in August of 2022, Perrin lost her world.
Through time, searching, and the support of AnglicareSA’s StandBy Support After Suicide, Perrin’s story is now one of hope and one she shared at the annual Walk Through the Darkness and into the Light event in November. “Adam took his life on the fourth of August 2022,” Perrin said. “This is not something you think is going to happen to you, and so it’s not something you can ever prepare for. “Being alone in Adelaide, I did not know how or where to seek this sort of support. So I Googled for help and StandBy came up.” StandBy Support After Suicide is one of four AnglicareSA programs in the suicide prevention area that support two at-risk groups – people following a suicide attempt and people bereaved by suicide. People bereaved by suicide are at eight times increased risk of taking their own life. “It was not about counselling, it was an opportunity to share my grief with someone in a safe, non-judgmental space – someone I could be myself with even though they were a stranger,” Perrin said.
Perrin lost her partner Adam to suicide
Bring on school Forging new relationships and growing in confidence every week has four-year- old Blake ready for school following his graduation from AnglicareSA’s HIPPY program. HIPPY is a free, two-year, home-based, early learning and parenting program for families with young children which is improving children’s school-readiness through AnglicareSA’s Playford and Onkaparinga sites. “Blake wasn’t doing kindergarten at that time and didn’t really have any friends,” his Mum Shaylea said. “He loved doing all the activities, but it was the relationships he built in HIPPY that definitely helped him come out of his shell more socially.” Blake was among 28 HIPPY students who graduated at a special ceremony held annually at the Adelaide Zoo, marking an end to his involvement in HIPPY.
John, Shaylea, Connor, and Blake at the 2024 HIPPY Graduation
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