Amy Bleuel of Wisconsin, known as the founder of Project Semi Colon, passed away on March 24 at the age of 31 after losing her lifelong battle with Depression.
Bleuel created Project Semi Colon in 2013 and it soon went viral. In her efforts, she encouraged those affected by mental illness struggles, self-harm, and suicide to draw a semicolon on their wrist and to post a photo on social media, as the punctuation symbol represents a story that isn’t finished.
After thousands of people resonated with her movement, the symbol became a universally known symbol among those suffering from mental illnesses, with many tattooing the symbol on their body.
Bleuel said of the Project in 2015 that, “The semicolon was chosen because in literature a semicolon is used when an author chooses to not end a sentence, “You are the author and the sentence is your life. You are choosing to continue.”
Bleuel, a native to Green Bay Wisconsin, suffered from Depression for most of her life and became a mental health advocate after she lost her father from suicide at the age of 18. During her efforts, Bleuel received three semi-colon tattoos; one in memory of her father, one for her best friend, and the last for herself.
The AFSP, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention expressed their condolences: “With her prolific semi-colon campaign, she brought real awareness to an issue that is often misunderstood and can be complex in nature. Amy’s life was a testament that one person truly can make a difference. She had a powerful voice that gave others the confidence to speak openly about mental health.”
For more information on Project Semicolon and Suicide Prevention:
projectsemicolon.com
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: afsp.org