Hold On (South Africa)

Can a poem turned to song help save lives? I pray it can. When I read of the suicide death of Stephen Boss aka tWitch, I gasped at the tragedy. As a child psychiatrist, poet, and suicide attempt/loss survivor, I was inspired to write the poem, "Heartbreak Times Infinity." Singer-songwriter Shan Carballo beautifully transformed that poem into the "Hold On" song which then led to initiating the "Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention. The Hold On Campaign educates on mental health and uplifts mental health well-being by using the power of art to connect, express, and heal.To learn more of our many services please see www.holdoncampaign.org. Here is Shan sharing his personal experience with the Hold On song: ""On Christmas Eve, a chance encounter turned this holiday into a particularly memorable one. I was connected with Diane Leslie Kaufman, MD, through Upwork as she was searching for a singer-songwriter/producer to help her turn her poem into a song. This song however, was not just your ordinary song. It was a song to help others who were in so much mental-emotional pain that they were on the verge of suicide - a song to breathe hope and life back into those who were feeling dismally lost and hopeless. I was so moved by Diane’s project that I dropped everything I had on my agenda and picked up the guitar. The song literally wrote itself like an automatic download from some higher source and was completed within minutes. I found the process immensely inspiring. As Diane and I made plans for sharing the song to those in need, I realized something in myself. This song gave me as much hope and inspiration as we had intended it to provide to others. As I too had immensely dark times earlier in my life where I contemplated the unthinkable. This song was a reminder that life, like the weather, goes through seasons of change, and even the darkest of times never last. What endures however is the beauty and wonder of our potential as boundless creatures gifted with a life of infinite possibilities." If you are having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to a caring family member, a friend, therapist, psychiatrist, and/or call your crisis and suicide prevention lifeline number. Your heartbreak does not have to kill you. Your broken heart can heal. Life can get better. Problems can be solved. #suicideprevention #depression #bipolardisorder #musictherapy #poetrytherapy #holdoncampaign #createresilience