Chris's Story

I have read the other stories of survival, and was moved by each one. I felt inspired by them to share my own. I don't know what it is with Nevada, but we seem to lead the nation in suicides each year. My story is a testament to that harsh reality. Fifteen years ago, when I was 19, the first friend I lost, Burke, was due to suicide. Burke, and another friend of his Josh, both shot themselves. Then, at 21 my friend Shawn shot himself the night before Thanksgiving. Shawn's death hurt me deeply. Shawn was three years older than me and from my neighborhood, and became to me like an older brother. I've never stopped thinking of those two everyday since, and there's not a Beastie Boy's song I can hear that doesn't instantly trigger a Shawn memory. Well, years past and their memory has always remained, I just didn't know events and organizations like this existed until recently. On June 23rd 2006, my father, Harry Reynold's, took his life at 49 years old with alcohol and pills. Needless to say, this shook my foundation. My dad was a very loving, caring guy that had great compassion for the world's underdog's. He had one of the hardest childhood's of anyone I've ever known, and for him to have such love and compassion for others, and to create the success for himself that he did, was a great inspiration for me. Because I wanted to honor his memory in the same sort of way I started looking for something to volunteer myself to. I just couldn't seem to find the right fit, nothing ever really hit me until March 25th 2009. On March 23rd, my younger brother Jeff, not related to Harry, at 27 took his life also. He to shot himself. The reason I say the 25th of March was my day of inspiration is because that was the day of Jeff's viewing. I'd been looking so long for something to get involved in but suicide prevention never came to me until that day. I left the viewing, got into my car, and just said out loud, "This has to stop." And that's when it came. I got an intense warmth that started in my heart and just dispersed all through my body, and my mind said "suicide prevention" loud and clear. I honestly couldn't believe what had just happened. It was that easy, yet it took so much for me to get there. Since then, this is what I fight for. That May, with help from some of Jeff's friends, we put together a small little rock show, took a cover charge, sold some shirts, and raised $3,200 that we donated to our local Crisis Call Center, and local Walk In Memory that is held annually here in Reno. Through my efforts to get involved in prevention I found this Overnight Walk. This will be my first year walking. I started Team Jeff Rand/Harry Reynolds. I will be walking with two of my other younger brothers Eric and Joseph. We have raised our goal already and I am so looking forward to this experience with them. I can't wait to be a part of this and to be with so many other survivors from all over the country. I've already met such great and inspirational people locally. I will miss my friends and family deeply forever and will never quit loving them. I do this in their honor. Through the darkness their light shines. I know you now. I fight for you now. I suffer for you now. I live for you now.


-Chris Rand-Reynolds