Are You Still Grieving?

Are You Still Grieving?
You’re Not Alone I Bill Vassilopoulos

Back in 2012, I became a First Aid Suicide Intervention Trainer. Around that time, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared suicide a global health crisis—reporting that every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide.

That statistic wasn’t just information to me. It was personal.

Because years earlier, as a teenager in the 1980s, I tried to end my life. And by grace, I survived.

But survival doesn’t mean the story ends.

In many ways, that’s where it begins.

Although I lived, my parents carried a weight that lasted for years. They grieved deeply, quietly blaming themselves, believing they had somehow failed me. The truth is—they didn’t.

Later in life, I faced this reality again—this time from a different perspective. Someone very close to me attempted suicide. Once again, there was survival. But once again, there was also grief.

And this time, I carried it.

I replayed moments. I questioned myself. I wondered what I missed… what I could have said… what I should have done differently.

I wasn’t trained to help people struggling with suicidal thoughts, and that experience became a turning point—it drove me to seek out the training needed to support vulnerable people.

Through the years, as I taught Suicide Safe workshops, one thing became undeniable: no two rooms were ever the same. Every participant brought their own story—some had lost someone, others were walking alongside a person who was struggling, and many were silently carrying their own battles.

But there was also something else I began to see:

Patterns.

Signals.

Moments that, if recognized, could change outcomes.

I began to understand—and teach—that suicide is not just a random act of despair. There is often a progression. There are behaviours. There are warning signs. And most importantly, there are ways to intervene.

There is a strategy.

People are not as helpless as they think.

In 2018, I felt a deep responsibility to go further. I began interviewing people in my community—those who had walked through the unimaginable, those who had lost loved ones, and those who were on the front lines supporting people in crisis.

That journey became Eyes Above the Water.

It took seven years to write—and it came at a cost. Emotionally, it forced me to revisit my past again and again. With each story, I couldn’t help but think of my parents and what they must have felt.

But something else happened too:

Perspective.
Gratitude.
Clarity.

I began to realize something that had taken me years to fully accept:

I am not a burden—and not alone.

And neither are you.

When you read this book, you’ll discover what many people don’t talk about openly: suicide happens more often than people think, and there are recognizable patterns and behaviours when someone is contemplating taking their life.

This awareness matters.

Because awareness leads to action.
And action can save lives.

Does this mean life becomes easy? Not at all.

But I am more grateful for each day—regardless of the weather, the political climate, or the economy.

For a limited time, I’m offering my e-book for $10 with promo code SAVE10.

Email contact@billvassilopoulos.com to join the 3RT Newsletter, and I’ll also send you a free medical card with a declaration to help protect your life in relation to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Remember: you are not a burden—and not alone.

You are irreplaceable.
You are unrepeatable.
You are highly valued.

Warmly, your friend,
Bill