Dear all,
Awhile ago, I thought “To Write Love
on Her Arms” was just another event
that I really didn’t need to attend because
I was fine. I thought I was fine because
I am a healthy, upbeat student who
always talked to someone whenever I had
something wrong in my mind. “That is
proactive,” I told myself.
What happened the following weekend
changed my mind. After the “To
Write Love on Her Arms” week at Drake,
I received devastating news on Nov. 15.
The night before, at Marquette University,
my high school classmate and friend,
Andrew Siebenaler, was found dead in his
residence hall. I checked his Facebook,
read his last status (“well, i’d never want
to see you unhappy – i hoped you’d want
the same for me”), and guessed it was
suicide. The Marquette Tribune reported
on Tuesday that the coroners confirmed
his cause of death: suicide.
In retrospect, most of us may believe
that we have a healthy mind. That’s not
enough. There are still some people who
have long-term depression and suicidal
thoughts. There are two things I think
we should all do as good individuals. The
first is to reach a hand to them and give
your undivided attention. The second is
to keep contact with people you haven’t
talked to in a while. Andrew and I weren’t
the closest friends, but we hung out occasionally.
Looking back, I really wish I had
talked to him regularly; the last time I had
talked to him was at his job right before I
left for Drake. I didn’t know it would be
the last time I would ever see him again.
So please, reach out. Even though I –
and perhaps a handful of others – never
participated in a “To Write Love on Her
Arms” event before now, help our conflicted
peers out of these tough times. Just
like Drake, Marquette University held
a “To Write Love on Her Arms Day”
on the same week, but in memory of
Andrew, they decided to hold it again. I
definitely clicked the “Will be Attending”
status on their Facebook event.
– Jacqueline Ye, Sophomore
