Noelle's Story

My sister April (left) & Me
Why am I walking? For myself and everyone who supported me.


March 17, 2009 started out like any other day. I went to work and to class. I had no idea of the drastic turn it would take.


For years I suffered from depression and struggled with eating disorders, self injury, and addiction.

As that day progressed, my storm clouds began to tumble in, and I saw myself going downhill. Instead of reaching out for help, I turned to drinking. After a confrontation with my boyfriend at the time, our relationship ended suddenly, and I made my mind up.

It was about 10 years earlier, when I was 16, that I made my first suicide attempt, but this time around I was certain I would succeed.

Overnight Updates & Opportunities

We're just under six weeks out from the big event and that means crunch time here at The Overnight Office. Our staff and volunteers have been hard at work to make the 2011 Overnight the best yet, but we wanted to take a moment to share some news and incredible upcoming opportunities with you:

My Father’s Daughter

Daddy & his girls, 1974

For the better part of the first two years after my Dad’s suicide on May 13, 1987, I firmly believed it was all a nightmare that I was going to wake up from. That I would find my Dad sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a cigarette in his hand, watching the 11:00 news.


I guess your mind only allows you to absorb such agony in small doses. I remember thinking “Is today the day I will wake up and this will be over?”


My Dad never wanted us to know he had Bi-polar disorder. He was too ashamed. He thought we wouldn’t love him if we knew. We were best friends, he and I, and I was always proud when someone said “Wow, Suzi is just like you Jim”. Little did I know then, how much like him I really was.

Special Offer - Register to Save Lives Today

Are you registered for this year's Out of the Darkness Overnight? If so, remember we have our refer-a-friend program underway. Take advantage of this today. Receive a fundraising credit just by inviting and having a friend or family to walk you. Send them this Call2Action Spark video today. Watch the video above and then click share.

Don't forget! Tell friends and family to use promotion code "savelives" in the final steps of the registration process - they'll get a $15 discount on registration and a $15 fundraising credit!

My name is Cam Nelson and this is why I am walking 18 miles for suicide prevention.

On July 15th, 2010 my brother made a tragic decision to end his own life, after 24 hours on life support on July 16th, 2010, I lost my only brother. He was not only an amazing father, husband, brother, son, friend, and mentor, he was a firefighter. He was always there to lend a helping hand. He would do anything for his friends and family, even for strangers. He fought long and hard to secure his position within the Phoenix Fire Department and he loved his job. He started his own company providing emergency medical services for concerts and events. He was a good father to his boys and step-daughter. He was a loving husband to his wife. He made my parents proud in all his accomplishments and dedication to the work he loved. He wasn't just my brother, he was one of my best friends. We didn't have the normal sibling rivalry, we had complete support for one another. I could tell him anything and knew he wouldn't judge me. This road has been a very difficult one for me to travel. I felt myself slipping into the depression that not only he suffered, but that has been cast upon my family on more than one occasion. Luckily, with the support of my family and friends and the clarity of my mind, I am doing much better today. There isn't a day that I don't think of him, there isn't a day where my eyes don't swell up with tears, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him with all my heart. I don't think time is going to completely heal the wounds I have, what has happened to me has become a part of who I am today. However, I do believe that time will help me better understand and manage the grief I have. I have 31 years of some of my happiest memories with him, and no one can take that away.

I am participating in this walk with my best friend Jenny and we hope to be joined by my brother's wife Jamie. Jamie has continued to run my brother's company, EMS Providers, which may make it difficult for her to attend with us. Just one month after his death, Jenny and I went back to college to obtain our EMT certification to be a part of his company also. We hope to carry it on and make it everything he wanted it to be. I am excited to make this trip from coast to coast. I have never been to New York, neither had my brother. I know he wanted to visit sometime to pay respect to those first responders who lost their lives in 9/11. What most do not realize is the stresses these men and women deal with on a daily basis, on and off the job. It takes a strong person to run into the face of danger while others flee. They see things that others can't imagine seeing. And not all deaths happen in the line of duty. Unfortunately, suicide in the fire department has been more common here in Phoenix lately. Four firemen have taken their lives in a span of 7 months, my brother being the most recent. We will walk in memory all of them.

I decided to participate in The Overnight, because I think it will be helpful for me to continue on this challenging road by being surrounded by others who have not only been there before, but are currently traveling the same road I am. You never truly know the devastation suicide causes until it happens to you. I hope the money we raise for the walk will prevent someone from casting this grief upon their family and friends. I hope the money we raise will help a family, like mine, receive the support they need to stop suffering and become survivors. I hope by participating in this walk, that I might be able to simply make a difference. If you want to make a difference, join us at http://www.theovernight.org/

In memory of my brother Corey Nelson #788

-Cam Nelson
Team Baby Bull & Fallen Firefighters