TAMPA, Fla. — Suicide can be difficult to talk about, it’s why the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is ensuring people talk about suicide and bring people out of the darkness of those thoughts with their annual community walk.

What You Need To Know

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is hosting a Suicide Prevention Walk on Dec. 7

  • Thuy Huynh is walking in memory of her brother, whom she lost to suicide in 2006

  • The walk is being held for the 15th year to help bring families close to talk about suicide and ways to prevent it

Four times a week, you’ll find Thuy Huynh in the gym.

“For me mentally, emotionally, physically, it’s my form of self-care,” she said.

Staying active reminds her of her childhood. It’s also a place where she feels the most connected to her late brother, Khanh.

“We love working out. We love playing sports, so it’s just one of those things we always tied in together,” she said.

Her brother passed away by suicide in 2006.

"Leading up to it, I knew there were some health problems that he was struggling with in regards to post grad employment, so you know, they always say, 'We never know when it’s coming,' and unfortunately, it’s just more so we don’t know what to look for," Huynh said,

According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40 million people have died by suicide, with one death every 11 minutes.

Katie Planchard with Ellie Mental Health said that learning to recognize the signs is extremely important.

"Behavioral changes that we look for is that if somebody is talking a lot about dying, or wanting to harm themselves, or if they are making efforts to give things away, those are all pretty serious signs to pay attention to,” said Planchard.

Huynh said losing her brother led her to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, where she’s now a board member.

She says it was a big help.

“Really got me connected with resources and help in regards to support groups and group counseling, and that was really the good start of my journey with AFSP," Huynh said.

The walk in Tampa will be a way she can continue to keep her brother's memory alive while also being a shoulder to lean on for others who may have also lost a loved one.

“Suicide is preventable, it’s just knowing what to do and how to see things in a different perspective,” she said.

For her, that means putting one foot in front of the other, walking for awareness.

The walk is being held on Dec. 7 at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.

You can register for the walk on the AFSP Tampa Bay website or show up that day to participate.