Kaitlyn Wong

Ms. Gardner
English Honors 10 Period 6
4 December 2016

Video Letter
Dear Mr. President-Elect,

Everyday, there is a silent, unseen killer taking the lives of the innocent and costing
billions of dollars throughout our country. Yet, even after all the unnecessary loss of lives and
money, this tragedy still remains an issue.
My name is Kaitlyn Wong. I am a highschool student from Petaluma, California. I am
speaking to you to address a critical matter in our country.
Seven years ago, on Tuesday May 5, tragedy struck my family and many others in our
community. My aunt, Kathleen Blanchard, was one of those most affected.
From the immensely rich to the dirt poor, from the young youth to the aging old, from
luxury homes to street gutters, people anywhere and everywhere can suffer from these
traumatic issues.
Depression can affect anyone, even in Palo Alto, an area on the higher end compared to
other areas. Since my cousin took his final moments on the Caltrain tracks, there have been 10
deaths over the past seven years. This has created what is called a cluster suicide, which is
defined as multiple suicidal behaviours or suicides that fall within an accelerated time frame,
and sometimes within a defined geographical area, causing the CDC to investigate.
Gunn High School in Palo Alto has some of the best, bold, and brightest, with a 96%
graduation rate, a 88% English proficiency, and a 91% mathematics proficiency. Across the
United States, the average graduation rate is 80%, while the English and mathematic
proficiency is only 50%. 74% of the children in Palo Alto have at least one parent with a
graduate degree. Palo Alto is truly one of the more gifted areas I know, with few homeless living
on the street, and few starving without food, and few without the chance at education, and few
without the necessities for basic living, and few without economic stability, and few without the
ability to prosper in any aspect of their life, and few without the defininent possibility of an
amazing future.
Its clear that Palo Alto is an elite area. Its considered one of the most expensive cities
in the United States, where academic competition is fierce, where Steve Jobs grew up, where
success is a guarantee, where our future grows.
Yet, its not; its corrupted. Corrupted by something these determined, knowledge-hungry
people cannot, will not see. So, our best, bold, and brightest continue to organize memorials for
each other.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of suicide has risen by
24% from 1999 to 2014. Now, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States,
with cases of suicide peaking around the holiday season. Every year, there is an average of
42,733 Americans deaths from suicide. Every day, there is an average of 117 suicides. On
average, for every suicide, there are at least 25 attempts.
 Suicide doesnt just affect the direct community around the suicide survivors. Suicide
costs the country over $44.6 billion a year from combined medical costs and work loss, with the
average suicide costing $1,164,499 dollars.
Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of suicides in America every year.
Unfortunately, with depression, people often carry the intense weight of their world on their
shoulders. And with suicide, a persons pain doesnt just disappear; its spreads throughout
friends, family, peers, and community.
As a friend, Ive helped heal those with depression. As a peer, Ive comforted those who
have attempted. As a family member, Ive grieved with many who share my pain. As a person,
Ive reached out to those who needed it. As a citizen of this country, I believe we should all do
the same.
If this issue is not noticed, it will not be addressed. If this issue is not addressed, it will
not be fixed. If this issue is not fixed, there will be loss. And if there is loss, throughout our
country, how can we, the people, use our full potential to advance as a society? Are we going to
let this ignored Achilles heel continue to reduce and reap lives throughout our country?
To address the issue, we must issue an address. One of the easiest ways to help
prevent suicide, is to first bring light to the matter. We all know how to recognize signs of a
medical emergencies and what to do in case of a fire or an earthquake, but very few know what
to do or how to recognize a case of a potential suicide victim.
We need to provide knowledge; we, as people, need to know the signs of a potential
suicide; we, as people, need to know when to seek help; we, as people, need to know how to
seek help; we, as people capable of feeling compassion for one another, we need to know how
to help others. Only then will we be able to start saving lives. With dedicated time, we will be
able to figure what exactly the science behind depression and suicide is and ways to prevent
and possibly even cure these issues.
Along with knowledge, we need to increase the prevention of suicide methods. In the
United States, more people kill themselves with firearms than any other method combined. In a
study conducted by the AFSP, there was a robust association that existed between the level of
household firearm ownership and the rate of suicides. This led them to conclude, where firearm
ownership levels are higher, a disproportionately large number of people die from suicide.
Some may argue that this issue is insignificant compared to larger global issue or that a
persons life is theirs to take. While, there are more issues that affect more people, this issue
shouldnt just be ignored. We should still be taking steps to decrease the number of suicides
and to help more people with depression. While, an individual can do as they wish with their life,
and we should respect their wishes, we can help reveal a persons potential to themselves and
help them through the healing process, if they wish.
Mr. President-Elect, I urge you to take action against these easily avoidable tragedies.
While, we can not save those whom we have lost, we can save those that pose a potential
threat to themselves. Now is the time to act. As the rate of suicides rapidly rises, we, the
survivors, need to rally together, to lower the cases of suicides, to stop these pointless personal
and economic losses, and to help those struggling in their darkest hours. With the spread of this
knowledge and gun control, we could save well over 42, 000 lives every year across our great
nation. With your help, fewer people have to endure the grief of a lost loved one; with your help,
we could understand and stop the biological reasons behind this mental illness; with your help,
we could stop these ignorant unnecessary killings, and kill this unnecessary ignorance.