Sons Of Suicide - 50 Years Of Friendship & Grief

Jan 14th, 2021 | Episode 179

This is the story of how a random encounter led to a transformative friendship that's lasted for more than 50 years. A friendship rooted in the shared experience of grieving a parent who died of suicide. David Pincus and Rick Knapp met as high school seniors and they had a lot in common, including having a mothers who died of suicide. Prior to meeting it was something they rarely talked about, but in their friendship, they finally found someone they could confide in. Now, five decades later, they wrote a book, Sons of Suicide: A Memoir of Friendship, about how these early losses shaped so much of their lives and their ongoing friendship.

In this episode we discuss:

  • The shame and stigma associated with a death by suicide
  • The power of friendship and connection in grief
  • Grieving as a teenager
  • The drive to answer the "Why?" question
  • How writing the book and being so public with their stories has affected David and Rick

Learn more about David, Rick and their book here. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out for help. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 503.273-8255 or text HELLO to 741741.

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