SurvivorsAfterSuicide Your Path Toward Healing • Suicide is Preventable A Program of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
Fall 2022
Remembering Sam Bloom Sam Bloom, a beloved source of gentle inspiration and support for survivors of suicide loss, died on Sunday, September 25, 2022. Remembered for his empathy, warmth, and kindness, Sam was able to use his grief and deep compassion to help those in need. Along with his wife, Lois, they dedicated their lives to providing counseling for suicide survivors and advocating to erase the stigma. It’s been almost 40 years since Dec. 13, 1982, when Sam and Lois’ son died by suicide. He was 23. With only a note left on the car seat, and three other letters for family members, Sammy left his parents and family to grieve. They began their involvement with the Suicide Prevention Center shortly after Sammy died. Nina J. Gutin, Ph.D. remembers how “they epitomized the ways such a devastating loss could be transformed into deeds which honored the life of their son and provided meaningful support to other survivors.”
The dynamic duo, Sam and Lois Bloom
Sam was the President of Suicide Prevention Advocacy NetworkCalifornia, which the Blooms helped found, and trained volunteers for the Suicide Prevention Center’s crisis line, the oldest in the country. From leading bereavement group sessions, to activism, the Blooms worked to destigmatize suicide, depression and bipolar disorder. They were the constant conscience at the doors of legislatures from Sacramento to Washington, D.C.
Over close to four decades, Sam and Lois helped thousands of survivors heal through personal sharing. They offered words and tools to help deal with the avalanche of unanswered questions, guilt, anger and hurt that come with a preternatural death. Rick Mogil, Coordinator of Bereavement Services, shares how “they encouraged me, stood by me and mentored me throughout my career at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Sam has shown me how a father grieves a son and how to turn tragedy to a life of purpose.” When the Blooms themselves first sought help, nothing like today’s Survivors After Suicide program existed. Most people wanted to get as far from the pain as they could. But what Sam and Lois learned early on is that you shouldn’t hide it. Some survivors feel the need to do something. They might make a donation, write an article for a newsletter or even talk about returning to lead a support group. Few people throw themselves into (Continued on Page 6)
My Grief Evolution by Kate Osher In 2002, at the age of 28, I was hit, head on, with my first round of life altering, drop to your knees, question the universe, grief. My husband was dead. He had taken his own life at our home in Colorado while I was thousands of miles away Kate and her husband on in California. their wedding day
Survivors and helps
When I answered the phone, I remember the police officer asking if I was alone. When I told him I was with my mom, he asked me to please get her. “Kate, I regret to inform you we found your husband’s body in your garage. He is deceased. I’m sorry but we need you to come back to Colorado right away.” After hearing my own blood-curdling scream and dropping to the floor, there isn’t much I remember about that day. I had lost loved ones before – grandparents, friends far too young, beloved teachers – but this was a grief I did not know my soul could bear. It was
too much. Too close. Too messy. Too life altering. Too unfair. In the hours, days, and weeks after my husband’s death, I wanted to die too. The physical and emotional pain of grief was so intense that dying didn’t seem so awful. I drank too much. I numbed myself with prescription medication. I didn’t eat. To the outside world, I looked stoic and put together. My parents still call it my Jacqueline Kennedy phase. I put the acting training from my youth to good use – rarely showing others how much I suffered. But I was suffering. (Continued on Page 4)
Survivors After Suicide (SAS) helpsresolve people resolve their and griefpain and pain in their own After Suicide (SAS) helps people their grief in their own personal way, personal way, and helps them move forward in their lives, positively and productively. them move forward in their lives, positively and productively.