"Mental health isn’t just a straight line to better."

Emma Sharon offered this insight Friday as she discussed a free upcoming event she is helping to organize and where she will share her story: "Voices for Hope — Community Conversations on Suicide Awareness and Prevention," which will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Kroc Center.

Sharon, 19, is a 2024 Lake City High School graduate and a suicide attempt survivor. Just a few years ago, she struggled with suicidal thoughts as she began to buckle beneath the pressure that accompanies being a top-performing student and the many other challenges modern teenagers face. She overdosed on over-the-counter medications in her home. 

"When I was dealing with all this, I was in high school and I was around all these other honors students who never talked about mental health, much less suicidal ideation," Sharon said, adding that she felt she didn't have any peers with whom she could discuss what she was experiencing.

"As I realized later on, a lot of these kids were also feeling it as well," she said, but because of the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health struggles, "they didn't want to talk about it."

She wants to break that stigma. When she speaks on the topic, she talks about the "faces of suicide."

"I think that every person, subconsciously or consciously, has a perception of what dealing with suicide looks like," Sharon said.

She wants to show them that "suicide is not just one face," she said.

"To be able to have anyone relate or feel like they’re not alone, that’s my biggest goal,” Sharon said.

Voices for Hope will be held in partnership with the Coeur d'Alene School District and the Kroc Center. The evening will include personal stories and reflection and provide ways for community members to gain confidence in having difficult situations as they support loved ones who are facing anxiety and depression.

Sharon has been recognized for her advocacy efforts and was recently a nominee for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Mental Health Awareness Award. The Northeastern University student serves as a marketing intern at the Kroc Center, which she supports by writing and editing grant proposals, including for the Forever Idaho North Grant for Mental Health Community Vouchers.

She will be joined onstage at Voices for Hope by her mother, Melissa Sharon, who will provide insight from a parent's perspective.

"I feel like, personally, every single person in our community should go," Melissa said.

She said the last event, which was held in May 2024, focused on parents and students.

"This year we wanted to make sure it was marketed to the community as a whole," she said, "because there has been so much loss with suicide lately and no one is exempt."

When Emma was in the hospital recovering from the attempt, Melissa said she and her husband, Emma's father, looked to friends and social media for prayers and support.

"We wanted to protect us and her, but then we came to the realization that ... I didn't want to have a funeral for Emma and have the community show up and say things like, ‘We had no idea,’" Melissa said. "They can judge me as much as a parent, but as they see Emma around town, they can have eyes on her and say, 'I'm so glad you’re alive.'"

"As someone who was struggling with their mental health so deeply, to come out of it and see how many people care so deeply is a constant reminder that the hopelessness that I felt wasn’t as true as I thought it was," Emma said.  

According to information from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Coeur d'Alene experienced 46 deaths by suicide in 2021. Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Idahoans ages 10-24 that same year. 

Emma said she would like to tell those who are hurting that what they are experiencing won't last forever.

"Everyone says that, but it is true," she said. "Every situation, you can grow from it and time will pass. Most importantly, you are not alone ... There are always people in the shadows rooting for you. They care. You're not alone."

Voices for Hope will be in the River Community Room at the Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, Coeur d'Alene. No registration required.

Those who are struggling or know someone who is struggling with emotional distress, thoughts of self-harm or other mental health concerns can call or text the 24/7 Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline at 988.