Running Down the Stigma Surrounding Suicide

Bennett McIntosh knows all about the Ask the Question campaign. As a registered nurse who works in the emergency room, it’s part of their screening to always ask the question directly, “Are you thinking about suicide?” She’s also an avid runner who says that physical activity helps her own mental health. But up until a year ago, she didn’t know about the 437 Project.

“I was sitting on the couch watching the noon news, and I thought it was a really cool thing, 12 people are running across the state for mental health and suicide prevention. I’m a runner, so I started following along.”

Connecting With People in the Moment

The more she learned, the more she wanted to help, so she volunteered to run. The group ran 437 miles across the state to raise enough awareness to cut the number of suicides in South Dakota. A simply stated goal that, in her experience, worked based on a message she got after the event.

“Somebody who came to one of our community events reached out to the 437 Project team and they said they had a plan to kill themselves, but then they came to the event, listened to the speakers and then they went to seek help.”

That’s the one story they heard about, but McIntosh prays that’s more common, “There's one life saved and I think it's a pretty amazing thing. That person is so strong and it's really awesome, but one life lost is still too many. Impacting that that one person though, that's what it's all about.”

Why the 437 Project and Suicide Prevention Caught Her Attention

“I was going through some life changes, and there were days I was pretty sad about some things. I knew it was temporary, but it really got me thinking about how some people feel that down and sad to the point where they think things won’t get better and they feel the need to end their life,” said McIntosh. “So that was a big reason why I volunteered, just knowing I could help shed light on this topic to let people know that it will be OK.”

McIntosh said she made connections that’ll last a lifetime. Even now, months after crossing the finish line, she still feels the impact of her trek across the state every day, and not just because of a nagging knee injury.

“You go through so much and you learn so much through the four days you’re out there,” said McIntosh. “When you get done with this huge feat, when you realize that you just ran across South Dakota with 11 other runners, it's amazing.”

Running Down Memory Lane to Remember Those Lost to Suicide

Of course it’s not just the running and her fellow runners that left an impact, it’s also the volunteers and the people who cheered them on along the way. Most importantly though, is the reason behind the run, which never strayed far from her mind, especially at the end. The final push to the finish line is called the memory mile, when people who lost loved ones to suicide hold up signs for the runners to see. That memory mile really stuck with McIntosh.

“We go home and we're excited that it's done, but those people go home and they still don't have a son, they still don't have a daughter or a mother or father. That really sunk in when I was away from all the noise and sitting in my house in the quiet with time to reflect,” she said. “You come down from that high, but then you remember that we did this to raise awareness for suicide prevention.”

Once the run begins, someone is running 24/7, except for a few community events along the way, when many of those stories are told. The hope is to encourage people to prevent suicide, in part by talking about it. The project is sponsored by Avera, which advocates for loved ones to not be afraid to ask people directly, “Are you thinking about suicide?” if they see the signs someone might be thinking about suicide.

“I’ve had friends in my life and people in my life that reached out to me and told me stories I had no idea about,” she said. “Suicide is a hard topic to talk about, there's such a stigma surrounding it. I had so many people reach out to me and say they were a suicide survivor. That shocked me, I had no clue and I think we need to normalize people talking about those things because when people hear stories, they’re moved.”

McIntosh returned to work as a registered nurse at a rural hospital with a new perspective and a greater understanding, “It's life-changing. I think it's the best thing I've ever done in my life.”

She’s undecided if she’d run again, but she encourages others to sign up or volunteer.”

“I don't know if I'd run it, but I will absolutely 100% be involved, be an advocate for it. I will be involved for sure in all of the upcoming years.”