Finding Connection on International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day

For those who have lost someone to suicide, grief can feel profoundly isolating. The experience is often layered, complex, and difficult to express in everyday spaces. Yet there is a unique and powerful comfort that comes from being in the presence of others who understand this kind of loss from the inside.

Saturday, November 22 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, known simply as “Survivor Day.” Each year, people around the world gather for in-person events that create space for healing, conversation, remembrance, and hope. Many return annually—finding that this ritual helps them honor their loved ones, check in with themselves, and recognize how their feelings evolve over time.

For those attending for the first time, showing up can feel daunting. In an article for AFSP’s Real Stories blog, volunteer Karen Pantello described what it was like to walk into her first Survivor Day event following the death of her husband:

“I sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes, scared and crying. What in the world was I doing? I didn’t want to talk to people, I was tired of crying, and I just wanted to sleep without having nightmares. I looked at the flyer again: International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. My daughter had seen the information online from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and suggested I go, because, as she said, ‘Mom, I don’t know how to help you not be sad.’… The next year, I didn’t just return to my local Survivor Day event: I volunteered to help with it!”

Karen’s experience is a reminder that healing often begins simply by allowing ourselves to be present with others who understand. (Read Karen’s full story here.)

In addition to gatherings held in communities across the country, AFSP offers Survivor Day Live, a virtual program streamed on Facebook and YouTube that brings together people from around the world. The day before, AFSP also hosts Día de Esperanza (Day of Hope), a Spanish-language panel discussing mental health, cultural perspectives, and the experience of suicide loss within Hispanic and Latinx communities.

Whether you are early in your grief or many years along, we hope you’ll consider attending an in-person event or joining one of these virtual programs. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Connection is possible—and so is hope.