My Uncle Keith Died

My Uncle Keith Died assists and supports adults in their efforts to explain and discuss suicide with children. In this true-to-life story, Cody learns that his Uncle Keith died by suicide. As Cody attempts to understand why his uncle would end his own life, he comes to understand how depression sometimes leads to suicide and why so many people misunderstand the illness of depression. Cody and his mother, a licensed social worker, discuss suicide and depression in simple terms, as readers discover the importance of talking about ones feelings and reaching out to others with love and compassion. Young readers also learn what to do if someone they know shows signs of depression. The Discussion Guide, written by Julianne Cosentino, will help parents and professionals deal with the type of questions children are likely to ask when their lives have been touched by suicide.

Carol Loehr graduated from Purdue University with a BA in Elementary and Special Education. She was an elementary and special education teacher.Her son Keith died by suicide on March 29, 1999. She created and continues to maintain www.TheGiftofKeith.org, a Web site of information to help comfort and educate survivors of suicide, as well as clergy, health care professionals, and counselors. Carol serves on the SKIIP's (Super Kid...Informed/Involved Parent) Management Team whose Web site, www.skiip.org, has current information and Internet resources to understand childhood-onset illnesses of the brain.She has written many articles: Not a Matter of Choice,Suicide: Some Understanding Is Certain to Initiate and Develop Empathy, Understanding Keith's Death. These articles have been published in various magazines and newspapers.Carol works with The Compassionate Friends, a worldwide organization for supporting bereaved families following the death of a child.