LEXINGTON, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — More than 720,000 people die by suicide every year, and for each suicide, there are an estimated 20 attempts.
“I want it to be open. I want it to be loud. So that way we can hug one another, we can love on one another, and we can save lives doing that,” said Leilani Gilbert, organizer of Saturday’s event.
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Leilani Gilbert lost her son Caleb Pitts back in 2022 when Caleb took his own life. And from then on, she’s dedicated her time and effort to preserving his legacy, by helping the community.
“I’m a nurse and I should be able to see those signs. I should have been able to recognize things, and I didn’t in my own son. So, I just want people out there to also know that people could be struggling inside and not show it so much on the outside. And if we just rally around everyone and we show love to our community and we give back love, you know, and just open awareness that just check on your friends, check on your loved ones, just make sure that they know that they are not alone in anything,” said Gilbert.