"I was so panicked by the grief I might experience if my loved one died that it prevented me from giving my loved one what I needed [to]," says Lambert, 54, who lives in London. That was back in 2017. Over time, through trial and error, Lambert says, she learned she had to put her own feelings aside in the moment and focus on the person in front of her."
"I need you to be strong for me. And help me find the strength to stay," Lambert says, reciting the poem during our Zoom call. Line after line, the poem asks for emotional safety in the face of intense despair and suicidal feelings. Stay by my side for long enough Will you keep trying till you've done enough So I abandon what I've planned Hold this space for me Accept my torment"
Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Jo Lambert initially panicked when she learned a loved one felt suicidal and feared the grief of loss. She learned to detach from the outcome, set aside her own emotions in the moment, and focus fully on the person in crisis. Lambert promised to teach others and in 2023 joined five people with lived experience to create a short film called Hold the Hope. The film, commissioned by a U.K. suicide prevention program, uses Lambert's poem to request emotional safety and sustained support during intense despair.
Read at www.npr.org
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