What It Takes to Make It Through

"When I am suicidal, all rational thinking dissolves and black and white thinking prevails. It's all or nothing, everyone or no one, never or forever. There is no room for sometimes, maybe, or less than perfect." Let's have a real conversation about suicide. It reflects a tragic loss of hope. It often raises more questions than can be answered. It moves across time into generations. So many are affected, and their stories of raw experience are often hidden in the threads of stigma. We want to amplify these voices. We put out a public call inviting individuals who have been touched by suicide through contemplation, attempt, or loss to share their unfiltered, personal journeys. These stories were collected as part of the Storybook Project, through the Arthur Sommer Rotenberg (ASR) Suicide & Depression Studies Program at St. Michael's Hospital in Canada. What It Takes to Make It Through, published through the Storybook Project, is a moving and inspiring collection of short stories about suicide and is accompanied by essays from practitioners in the field. In connecting with these powerful stories of loss, resilience, and hope, we invite you to shift your perceptions of suicide, and be open to the struggle and grief of others. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go to the ASR Program to support suicide research and education initiatives. "There is hope for you. It doesn't have to be about saving the world, although that's cool too, and something you still like to think about. It can just be about saving yourself. That is enough. You are enough. You're still here, and I'm glad."