Project Semicolon is a national, nonprofit organization for suicide prevention and help. The organization has helped more than 5.2 million people and counting.

The project was founded in 2013 by Amy Bleuel, who had to overcome many struggles including self-harm, addiction and even rape. When she shared her story nationally, she did this with thought of giving hope to others who share the common illness.

Project Semicolon was created to give people a chance to live their life again. A common belief in the community is that suicide can be prevented if people suffering from depression and other illnesses had more access to information and resources.

Sheyanna Hartwell, a 19 year-old college student and my older sister, also had to overcome many struggles in her middle school years. During her 7th grade year, her close friend passed away due to a tragic accident.

When my sister turned 18, she decided to get a tattoo of a musical note, followed by a heartbeat and ending in a semicolon. She also added her close friend’s death date below it. Her tattoo is symbolic of the depression that she suffered during a period of time. She felt that her life stopped in that one moment, but she decided that instead of placing a period to end her sentence, she would place a semicolon instead, signifying a pause. Her strength becomes stronger each day as she continues to add chapters to her life journey.

The website, https://projectsemicolon.com/, will allow anyone to donate, create/ join a fundraiser and participate in the project.