From Andy Hull’s Sunshine Foundation March 2015 Newsletter
Although it has been two years since our friend, son, brother and favorite left-handed pitcher relocated to Heaven, I still find myself thinking of Andy and being reminded of his character throughout my days. Being only 16 and a junior in high school when Andy passed, I had a very hard time finding things that were positive about such a heart breaking tragedy.
As the months and years passed, I was surrounded with love of our support group as well as complete strangers who knew me because of the relationship I had with Andy. It suddenly hit me that these people reaching out to me found comfort and peace in talking to me to help get through their grief of Andy’s death. My stories and memories of Andy made them laugh and that’s when I knew I had a responsibility to uphold. People watched my actions and how I viewed this situation. I could let suicide win and let Andy’s story be another sad tragedy that people hear about or I could share Andy’s story to make an impact on my peers about why suicide is not the end of their own story. I became a freshman in college last fall and my audience became slightly bigger when I stepped onto campus knowing that I could bring the message of You Matter to many new faces. After experiencing a loss like one from suicide, you gain a completely new sense of compassion and awareness for people. I’ve met a lot of people at Grand Canyon University but the one’s I will remember are the ones that have trusted me with their stories and were inspired by the message the foundation gives out.
~ Katie Mesenbrink
