Providing hope out of heartache
IT’S BEEN more than a year, but Clifton Beach woman Crystal Massie still cries herself to sleep some nights over the loss of her best friend.
Cairns man Ryan Fechner took his own life in late 2016 and Ms Massie said she had been wracked with guilt, blame and questions ever since.
The pair were incredibly close – she describes him as “my rock” and he even had her as his next of kin when police came knocking to deliver the horrible news.
“Ryan was not just my rock, but also my kid’s rock when I was weak. We all suffered deeply from his loss,” she said.
“The trail of devastation left behind after a suicide is one that could never be matched by anything else.”
Ms Massie decided to channel her heartbreak into something else and last year she put together the You’re Not Alone concert – a music festival and community event raising funds and awareness for suicide prevention and bereavement.
Hundreds attended
THE TRAIL OF DEVASTATION LEFT BEHIND AFTER A SUICIDE IS ONE THAT COULD NEVER BE MATCHED BY ANYTHING ELSE. I THOUGHT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AND THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME.
and planning is well under way for this year’s event.
She said supporting people who had suffered the loss of a loved one through suicide was vital.
“I had no idea where to turn to for support for not just me but for my kids,” she said.
“I had friends to lean on who were amazing and also suffering but I still felt like no one really understood the depth of my pain or loss. While he was everyone’s friend, he was more than that to me. It was like losing my right arm and I am still lost without (him).
“I thought people need to know what services are available and that other people are going through the same. There are support groups for bereaved families, people just don’t know about them.”