“Out of the Darkness” walk for suicide prevention held at New Hanover High School

WILMINGTON (WWAY) — An “Out of the Darkness” walk was held at New Hanover High School Sunday, with hundreds of people raising awareness for suicide prevention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 50,000 people took their own life in the U.S. in 2022.

20-year-old Bryson Furtado was one of them. Bryson is the brother of former WWAY reporter Peyton Furtado.

Just before losing her son, Bryson’s mother Kim also lost her sister to suicide in 2019, and spoke about why the walk is so important.

“Well it’s an epidemic and so that means that we have to put more focus and attention on it. We have to do everything that we can to prevent it in the future. We have to try to live a life where suicide is not part of the story anymore and this is a great first step for that.”

Beads were handed out to participants, with each color representing a different person lost to suicide — such as purple for a friend or relative , and orange for the loss of a sibling.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, you can call the crisis lifeline at 988.