Maybe Someday Love Will Cure Despair by NPR's Michel Martin

Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Tell Me More, lost her brother to suicide just two weeks ago. In a story published on Monday, May 24, 2010, her pain and confusion over his death are raw, but she comes to many remarkable conclusions about her brother and suicide. Her words on whether suicide is a selfish act are beautiful:

Now, I know some people think taking your own life is a selfish act, but I cannot bring myself to see it that way. I see it as self-less, in the sense that you come to believe your self has no value; that everyone would be better off without you.

I think my brother thought he was a failure, that with his long bout of unemployment he could not live up to what was expected of him as a man, and that we'd all be better off without him.

He was so wrong.

You can read and listen to the rest of her story here: Maybe Someday Love Will Cure Despair.

If you’ve lost someone to suicide, or if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in crisis, CONTACT Pittsburgh is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 412-820-HELP (4357).

-Kate