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Gayla Kelly holds a picture of her brother, Daniel Dietrich, who killed himself in 2016. Kelly is co-chair of the Sept. 21 Out of the Darkness community walk in Wichita.

Walking together
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: August 29, 2019

Local woman spearheads suicide prevention campaign

Gayla Kelly doesn't want other families to go through what her family did.

Kelly, a Park City resident and Valley Center High School graduate, lost her brother to suicide three years ago.

"That's when I kind of woke up," Kelly said. "I just realized I've got to do something. I've got to get involved, if I can save just one life."

Kelly is a new board member of the local American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is co-chairing an Out of the Darkness community walk in Wichita next month.

Despite the work of groups like AFSP and the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition, the rate of suicides in Sedgwick County increased in 2018. It's a disheartening report for people like Kelly.

"It breaks my heart," she said. "Every time I hear of a suicide, it takes you back. I've been in (north Sedgwick County) my entire life. To see that these numbers keep rising, I don't understand why. It's just heartbreaking. We just have to all band together. We have to figure this out."

Recent data put together by the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition shows that the county had 19.66 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018. That's up from 18.9 deaths in 2017.

Two years ago, the state average was 16, and the national average was 14.

"Sedgwick County and Wichita are growing, frighteningly, while other places are dropping," Kelly said. "… We have to get people help. We've got to get these numbers down."

Kelly said she became involved in suicide prevention and education efforts through AFSP after participating in a school walk at Wichita State University in 2016. It was just a couple of months after her brother killed himself.

Daniel Diedrich was 33 years old, living in Omaha, Neb. He was following his dream of being a singer and songwriter.

"I was 15 when he was born," Kelly said. "He was my living baby doll. I took him everywhere. He was only four years older than my daughter. I just adored him. As he got older, we, unfortunately, drifted apart."

Diedrich was battling demons, Kelly said. But a few days before her brother's death, Diedrich appeared happy, talking about his future and making plans.

The family was hopeful for him. They weren't prepared for what happened next.

Kelly said after her brother's death, she began seeing signs that should have alerted her and the family to what he was going through — the Twitter messages, the comments he made to friends.

"There are usually some types of clues or hints. Most people that are thinking about suicide will say something to someone," Kelly said. "… It might be just enough to make that person question and wonder."

Kelly said adolescents can be reluctant to tell an adult about a friend for fear of losing the friendship.

"I'd rather have my friend mad at me than have my friend dead," she said. "If someone says something to you, please talk to an adult, give the text line number or a lifeline number.

Kelly said families should learn to recognize warning signs and how to address them when they show up.

There are resources available.

"You can't force somebody to get help, but you can lead them to resources," she said.

After her first suicide prevention awareness walk, Kelly knew that as a surviving family member, she also needed help and she needed to be involved in helping others.

"You need to know that you aren't alone," she said. "I'm not naïve enough to think that we'll ever stop suicides completely, as much as I wish we could. I'm involved as much in this as helping the survivors get through the trauma of it as I am trying to get the information out there."

The AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk will be Sept. 21 in Riverside Park in Wichita. The event will include speakers, food trucks, a kids table, a photo memorial net and a DJ, along with the walk. Registration can be done online at www.afsp.org/wichita. It's free to register, but donations are appreciated.

Along with the walks, the AFSP focuses on research, prevention education, advocacy and public policy, loss and healing, interactive screening and partnership programs and resources.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Crisis Text Line
Text HELLO to 741741





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