SYNOPSIS:

"Bader Field; How My family Survived Suicide" (Nightengale Press, 2008) is the story of our family's struggle to survive after my older brother at age 22 took his life. I was just sixteen years old. The effects on myself and my family were horrific; beyond description. As a father now, I have a completely different perspective. Please visit my website for an extensive overview of the book. www.carledavid.com This is a journey of love, forgiveness and acceptance. Having lived through and survived the horrific experience of my brother's suicide, I am awakened to the purpose in my life. I am paying it forward by illustrating the pain with which the surviving family members are imbued so perhaps it will draw someone back from that edge of desperation by showing them that they don't die alone. They take their family with them. Life is a gift and every day we wake up is a blessing. No matter the difficulty, we get a redo. We have the luxury of choice in how we will spend our time and what we will do with it. I need to let those who have walked a similar devastating path that life does go on and that life is for the living. Our scars become an integral part of us as the experiences imprint our souls, but it is what we do with that information that makes us who we are in the end. In as much as teen suicides are now so ever present in the news, it is time to wake these kids up to the horror this violent act leaves on their families. Suicide is no joke and should not be taken lightly, or worse yet, dismissed or ignored. It is one of the leading killers of children today and knows no boundaries; not age, gender, race, nationality, religion, location or season. Children of celebrities who end their lives have been in the news recently. Movie stars, sports figures, and regular folk too. No one is exempt. The only way to halt its insidious existence is through massive exposure. Teenagers & young adults are most impressionable and educating them visually about this nightmarish act might just save someone's life. It is a selfish act and perhaps knowing how it traumatizes the survivors, might give pause and cause such a distressed kid to seek help and realize that they are loved and that there is a better way to confront their problems, whatever they may be. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. More than a million people take their lives every year, leaving 5 million to mourn them, and that number is growing ever larger. More people die of self inflicted wounds than from homicide and breast cancer. Now is the time to go public with this issue so that lives can be saved by showing the devastation this violent act leaves in its wake. I am on a mission to save lives. Only widespread exposure can pierce the veil of shame which keeps this act so virulent, so it can then be disabled. As a film, "Bader Field; How My Family Survived Suicide" would be incredibly powerful and highly inspirational as kids and young adults today live in a very visual world. It would have a stunning positive impact. On the big screen our story would embrace the richness of a family's indestructible love, insights into the complex dealings of the art world, and exciting ventures into flying twin engine airplanes. It could be the next "Ordinary People."

"BADER FIELD; HOW MY FAMILY SURVIVED SUICIDE"