The first of this two-part series can be found here:
If you see a semicolon displayed in an unusual way, such as a tattoo, don’t assume it’s the old internet emoticon usage indicating a wink or a smirk. The punctuation mark has come to mean something else in the world of suicide prevention.
“A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence but chose not to,” wrote the late Amy Bleuel, who founded Project Semicolon. “The author is you, and the sentence is your life.”
In other words, the semicolon represents the fact that you have complete power over yourself. You can choose to keep fighting, even if you feel like giving up. Your story doesn’t have to end if you simply believe in your ability to create new beginnings.
Scott Igo took the semicolon message to the next level when the president of the company he’s leased to, Jeff Foster Trucking, gave him the green light to create an awareness truck. He contracted Elite Graphics to add the decal and suicide hotline number to his Kenworth W900.
Igo, 43, of Michigan, says he’s always struggled with depression and knows how it feels to be on the edge of suicide.
“I know I was in a dark place,” he says. “No matter what I did, it wasn’t good enough. I hit rock bottom.”
