RUN TO SAVE LIVES

LOCAL MAN TO RUN 48 MILES IN 48 HOURS FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION
Sunday, April 11, 2021
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A Jennings man will be running 48 miles in 48 hours later this month to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention, as well as honor the memory of those lost to mental illness.

Ralph Reed, 56, knows what it is like to contemplate suicide as well as lose loved ones to suicide.

“I had some depression growing up but I didn’t realize what it was until I was older,” he said. “Then about 20 years ago, I went through a divorce and the depression got really bad.”

One day he took a gun, got into his truck and left his house.

“I just wanted the voices and the pain to stop,” he said. “But at that time, my first wife and I had young kids, and that kept playing on my mind, that I needed to be here to take care of them. I just said, ‘This is not the way I want to go.’”

The battle did not end, however. He tried to use drugs and alcohol to ease his pain. He was on medication for his depression but did not find that it worked well.

Finally, on May 23, 2004, he was sitting in church when he said, “God, I can’t do this anymore.”

“That’s when everything started to change for me,” he said. “It’s not like everything automatically went away but after that, I started try to face what I was going through. There were years when I was struggling that people had no clue anything was wrong.”

He still deals with depression at times but finds strength through his faith, his family and running.

“My wife, Sheila, knows when the depression is coming on or I’ll tell her that I feel it coming,” he said. “She keeps me active when I start to feel that way, and it helps.”

In life, Reed has lost a friend and cousin to suicide. In fact, when he runs races, he wears a shirt that bears the name of his cousin, Larry Guidry, and the year his cousin was born, 1968.

“He battled depression and I didn’t realize how bad,” Reed said. “We planned to run two races together, the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans and the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. But that didn’t happen, so ever since he died, I run every race in his memory.”

Reed describes his daily runs as his quiet time with God. Over the past almost two years, he has felt that his desire to run must have a deeper purpose.

“Probably around the first of this year I felt like God said, ‘Run 48 miles in 48 hours,’” he said. “I thought I could do that and raise money for suicide prevention. I finally told my wife that this thought keeps coming back to me, so it’s time to put it into action.”

He said he could simply run a marathon but, as a seasoned runner, that would be no challenge for him.

“Part of this is about running for people who are suffering, so why would I go out and do an easy run?” he asked. “I can do that any day of the week. With this run I am planning, at some point I won’t want to go on but I will have to keep telling myself that this isn’t about me, it’s about other people.”

His run will be based in the Sowela parking lot in Jennings, where he will be allowed to keep his motor home so that he can rest between miles.

“Running on roads during the day isn’t an issue but I didn’t want to be going through neighborhoods at night and disturbing dogs,” he explained. “During the day I might hit the roads around Sowela.”

Financially, he is working to raise a whopping $48,000. All proceeds will benefit the Acadiana chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and that money will be devoted to programs in this area.

“I started researching different groups that work for suicide prevention but talked to a lady in Crowley who lost her son to suicide,” Reed said. “She was involved with the organization and talked about how much they had helped her and her family.”

That lady is Megan Fontenot, whose 14-year-old son Taylor died by suicide in 2013. She talked about the many resources AFSP provides for not only loved ones of suicide victims, but for those battling suicidal thoughts.

“You don’t realize how many people are struggling with loss from suicide or with suicidal thoughts,” she said. “There is something therapeutic about being in the company of people who can understand what you are going through, where you can let off your chest how you are feeling.”

She has participated in several fundraisers for AFSP and noted that every dollar raised through the Acadiana chapter remains local.

“I think that’s important, to know that the money we are raising helps our friends and neighbors,” she said.

Knowing that Reed is a survivor, and one who is working to help others, helps Fontenot know that her own mission is successful as well.

“By sharing Taylor’s story, I always hope to help save a life,” she said. “So when I meet someone who is a survivor, I know stories like Taylor’s make a difference. It lets me know that Taylor didn’t die without a purpose. To see someone else come out of the darkness so strong and to see them so dedicated is amazing.”

Another reason she is open about Taylor’s story is because she believes mental illness should not be swept under the rug.

“It’s empowering when a person can come out in the open and say, ‘I struggle with this but look at what I can do,’” she said. “That’s empowering.”

She also believes now is a time when everyone needs to take a hard look at mental illness and suicide.

“There have been more cases of these things in the last year because of COVID,” she said. “Between people being isolated and losing jobs, so many have really struggled with depression and some have even lost their lives.”

There are ways individuals and businesses can support Reed’s efforts and aid in the fight for suicide prevention.

• Run or walk a mile — Reed said a person can do this on their own or join him at some point between 4 p.m. Friday, April 23, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at Sowela.

• Buy a t-shirt — Run to Save a Life t-shirts for $20 and tank tops for $22 are available for purchase by visiting https://shop.ricecitydesigns.com/ collections/run-to-save-lives.

• Make a donation — Individuals can donate financially to the cause but sponsorships are also available. Sponsorship levels include bronze ($250), silver ($500), gold ($750) and platinum ($1,000). These donations are tax deductible. Depending on sponsorship level, various perks are included for companies for being a sponsor.

On Facebook, people can go to the Run to Save Lives page and find the link to the donor page in the About section.

For more information, people can contact Sheila Reed at 337-580-5373 or email breakthroughsetc@gmail.com.