LYNCHBURG, Va. – Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the Commonwealth. According to national statistics, it’s the second leading cause of death among people who are 15 to 34 years old.
Looking at Hope Canzone you'll see a happy, cheerful teenager. But just nine months ago, that was not the case. On December 30th, the Canzone family said their goodnights to each other.
“We woke about 1:15 a.m. to the sound of a gun. My husband knew immediately Hope had shot herself," Molly Canzone, Hope’s mom, said.
Hope meant to take her life, but accidentally shot herself in the shoulder, paralyzing it.
“The more you just sit there thinking about it, the more into the light you come. And as I was lowering the weapon, it went off hitting my shoulder. And in that moment, it kinda felt like it wasn't real,” Hope Canzone said.
Hope says she went through an ordeal of not feeling accepted for who she is, and cyber-bullying is what triggered her thoughts.
"We're still working on it. We're still getting over it. It's an everyday kind of thing. You gotta put that down when you think about it,” Molly said.
And putting that heavy load down is what the Canzones have done. Through their Facebook page called "Finding Hope," the family has made the story and Hope's progress public.
“We have, unfortunately, lost so many to suicide, and we want to stop this trend. We want to make a difference,” Joan Palmer, chairperson of Lynchburg's Out of the Darkness Walk, said.
On October 7th, the Canzones and hundreds of others in Lynchburg will walk to Percival’s Isle to make it known suicide is preventable.
"There's always someone out there that you can talk to and everyone's going to tell you that they care and love you. And people are going to embrace you. I wish I knew that in my isolation and that time I wanted to end my life. And I want people to know that,” Hope said.