Thanks to his bravery in the 2013 Boston Marathon, Carlos Arredondo is now a household name. But before he was known as the hero in the cowboy hat, Carlos tragically lost both of his sons. The first, Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, died in action during the Iraq War in 2004, and their younger son, Brian Arredondo, died by suicide in December of 2011. Soon after losing Brian, the Arredondo's learned about Samaritans from a friend and began attending SafePlace meetings. They created Team Walking for Brian for the 2012 5K, and were joined by a group of friends and family.

In talking about the 5K, Melida remembers how shy they were their first time in Artesani Park to remember her stepson, and says that now one of the things she looks forward to most is seeing the familiar faces they have come to know since becoming involved with Samaritans. Though many find suicide a hard topic to discuss, Melida says "suicide is something that can be prevented, and the best way to prevent it is to talk about it. There needs to be a conversation. Even though it is a serious topic, the 5K is meant to be fun and the best we can do for our loved ones is to remember them joyfully."

It can seem hard to have fun while preventing suicide, but the Arredondo's newest way to do so is by challenging Massachusetts residents to take the Ice Bucket Challenge for suicide prevention - with Carlos's help. He has offered to drive to anyone within Massachusetts to help them take the challenge. The first taker? Candidate for Register of Probate & Family Court Felix Arroyo Senior, whose son, Chief of Health and Human Service for Boston Felix Arroyo Junior, will also be joining us at the 5K. If you would like Carlos to come help you complete the Ice Bucket Challenge for suicide prevention, email the Arrendondos.

John and Cheryl's son, Shane

Soon after losing their son, Shane, in February of this year, John and Cheryl were introduced to Samaritans and attended their first SafePlace meeting, followed by a visit to their home by fellow survivors. Though early in their healing process, John started looking into the 5K. In April, looking for a way to "pay it forward" and help Samaritans continue to help others through the services they have found helpful, he started Shane's Team. 

At first, Cheryl was nervous about feeling exposed but after the couple discussed the merits of the event, they decided that they wanted to get the word out there and for people to participate in honor of Shane. She explains, "We're very private people, but the past couple of months we've been anything but private because if we can save one life through telling Shane's story, it is worth it. I was also worried about making people uncomfortable because of the stigma surrounding suicide, but its has been way better than I anticipated - a really positive experience. Along the way, people have been sharing stories and telling us little things about Shane that we had never heard before. A lot of these people were practically strangers to us before, and it's so wonderful learning more about all of the lives that Shane touched. At first, we did not think we would even be able to raise $1,000 and to think that now we have over 60 team members and have raised almost $5,000 brings tears to our eyes. I hope that people can learn from us, and understand this can happen to anyone. A year ago, I would have just said we were a typical suburban family, but we didn't know what we thought was normal teenage behavior turned out to be depression. I hope that others learn from us, and learn the signs and watch for them."

 

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, John and Cheryl! Donate to Shane's Team by clicking here. If you are new to the 5K and are passionate about your involvement, email us to be featured in our next snapshot!

With school out for the summer, Director of Community Education and Outreach Program Kelley Cunningham and Samaritans staff met with 600 people for seminars in July at: