WEBVTT

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My name is Virginia Cooper . And my son

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committed suicide on seven November

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2021 .

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Suicide is a taboo topic . It just is

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we need to start openly talking about

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it . We need to let people know our

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stories because your story may help

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somebody else seeing what josh went

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through . I know he struggled when

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you're in that pain . You don't always

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see your way out . And I think with all

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my heart , if my son understood what it

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was going to do to us behind him after

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he was gone , I truly believe it would

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have been a big part of him , possibly

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not doing it . But if you have a

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feeling that somebody may hurt

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themselves , I will say this till the

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day I leave this earth . I would risk

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my son being angry at me and call and

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get more help . 10 20 years ago . We

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did not have the services we have today .

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The Department of Defense has so many

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resources and it may just be a call for

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a safety check . But we've got to start

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using these resources and putting them

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into play just as long as we're doing

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whatever we can to help them , that's

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what we need to do . Call 911 , call

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the mental health line , get them where

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they need to be and at least get them

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safe for that moment we all need to be

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looking out for one another . And even

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if it's just a pat on the back or a hug

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or I'm here for you , be there for them