3 days Ago By Damon Cronshaw
Merewether's Kelly Kay says "some days are harder than others" in coping with the grief of losing son Kahi to suicide . Login or signup to continue reading It's been 18 months since Kahi took his life at age 20. He had lived with depression since age 15.
"I take it one moment at a time," Mrs Kay said. "It doesn't seem to be getting any easier, but I am learning how to live with the grief and I keep going for my other son. "I've had a lot of counselling and holistic therapy.
" She finds purpose in helping others. Her latest fundraising effort is the Kahi Simon Suicide Prevention Night , which will be held on May 24 at Newcastle City Hall. Money raised will go to the Kahi Simon Fund, which she created to help others.
The fund was created in honour of Kahi's memory and in partnership with the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network. "I feel him with me, guiding me. That gives me the strength to keep showing up," she said.
"Our mission is to raise awareness around the gaps in the mental health system. "All proceeds go towards mental health initiatives and suicide prevention." The aim is to help bridge "the systemic gaps we saw first hand".
The Newcastle Herald reported last week that more than 480 suicides occurred in the Hunter in four years, and 79 per cent of those who died were male. Newcastle's Safe Haven, run by suicide prevention and mental health peer workers, is open only three days a week for five hours a day. Mrs Kay isn't waiting for the government to decide on whether to expand the Newcastle site.
"We want to help create safe, community-based spaces where people can find support, connection and healing," she said. She believed Kahi needed a safe space. He took his life five days after being discharged from a 10-day stint in Taree Hospital's mental health inpatient unit, after a failed suicide attempt.
He had been staying in Newcastle, but relapsed and needed more help. "We were trying frantically to find somewhere for him to go. Some services do exist, but they're hard to access because of waitlists or strict criteria," Mrs Kay said.
The family asked if he could return to the Taree unit, but was told to " go to the Mater in Newcastle - you can't come back here". Live4Life CEO Bernard Galbally said governments should be focusing on "prevention measures". "Despite significant government investment over the last 15 years, we have not seen any improvement in mental health outcomes.
We need to look at other ways of making an impact," Mr Galbally said. A parliamentary inquiry into mental health care in NSW , released last year, recommended the Safe Haven program be made a 24/7 service. NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said in February that the government was "working Towards Zero Suicides", with "a number of life-saving programs and services".
This included Safe Havens, Suicide Prevention Outreach Teams and Youth Aftercare. The government planned to introduce "suicide prevention legislation within this term of parliament". Tickets to the fundraiser are available on Humantix .
Donate to Kahi's fund at connectedtocare.com.au/project .
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