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Photo of Author, Linda Pacha, to promote book

About Linda

Linda Pacha has firsthand knowledge of the devastation caused by a loved one’s suicide and the excruciating pain from losing a child. In 2013, her teenage son, Nick, died by suicide while away at college. Linda shares her insights gained through hindsight from his painful life, tragic death, and her family’s grief journey in the must-read book, Saving Ourselves from Suicide—Before and After: How to Ask for Help, Recognize Warning Signs, and Navigate Grief.

Prior to receiving her law degree, Linda obtained a BS in psychology and completed postgraduate studies in clinical psychology. She is the founder and president of Nick’s Network of Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that provides resources, education, and support about life challenges with an emphasis on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, as well as grief and loss.

Please follow Nick’s Network of Hope on Facebook and connect with Linda Pacha on LinkedIn.

Saving Ourselves from Suicide—Before and After

Nick, a kindhearted nineteen-year-old, walked from his college campus to a tall bridge and jumped into the Mississippi. The lost body, the subsequent jumpers. . . suddenly the unthinkable became unfathomable.

Linda Pacha takes you on a powerful journey through her son’s heartbreaking life story­—including ongoing bullying, not fitting in, and ultimately suffering from mental health issues—as well as her family’s grief process, offering guidance to save others from suicide and help those grieving in the aftermath of loss. She hopes that you will benefit from these insights gained from hindsight to help yourself, your family, or your friends.

  • Suicide prevention—Access to real-life examples of suicide warning signs missed in Nick’s last behaviors and communications; discussion of mental health issues as a risk factor; an inside look at private challenges and bullying; and ways to help those struggling to stay alive
  • Self-help/grief after a loss—Recommendations on navigating the grief process, including the challenging steps back into society, new family dynamics, and necessary choices after loss; explanation of the stigma, judgment, and misconceptions of mental health and suicide; and ways to help loss survivors
  • Tips for a better tomorrow—Practical suggestions for reducing the pressure we put on ourselves and our youth and for creating a more compassionate world.
Saving ourselves from suice

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Testimonials

  • “The author has a crystal clear vision of mental health and the continuums of illness.”

    Christine Z. Somerville, PhD, Director of Programs, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Cook County North Suburban, Chicagoland

  • “Saving Ourselves from Suicide is a touching account of one family’s survival after losing their son and brother to suicide. While this is a loss that none of us would wish on anyone, Saving Ourselves from Suicide gives a meaningful glimpse into the powerful loss and the many things we can do to support each other and our loved ones through struggle.”

    Alison Malmon, Founder/Executive Director, Active Minds

  • “The common thread throughout the book is Linda’s call for all to be more kind and compassionate to one another, to search for understanding, and to be aware of how our actions impact others.”

    Rev. Charles T. Rubey, Founder/Director, LOSS program—Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide, a nondenominational program that is a division of Catholic Charities

  • “It describes the emotional journey of living through the events leading up to suicide and walks through the painful steps of the initial shock and long grieving process. It is a valuable resource to make it through grief and loss. This is a visceral but important read.”

    Steve Arkin, MD, Attending Neurologist, Miami Valley Hospital, Associate Professor, Wright State University, Dayton Ohio, Cofounder of Speakup

  • “Open and honest conversation about mental health and suicide is needed now more than ever in society. Through the eyes of a loving mother, this book does just that in a candid, caring, and hope-filled way providing the needed narrative of one family’s journey with the challenge of mental health issues.”

    Rev. Dr. Scott Mitchell, MTh, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, President and CEO SamaraCare

  • “Awareness, education, and connection are keys to tackling the overwhelming issue of suicide in our society. The author’s voice in “Saving Ourselves from Suicide” brings awareness to a new level, through her brave and honest account of the death of her beautiful son by suicide, and the impact this had on her family and the community.”

    Fran Zucco, BSN, RN-BC, Clinical Leader, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health

  • “Insights, information, and resources to help others decide to “Stay” or to assist the healing for those who have experienced the tragic loss of a loved one. Her sharing may be the best-informed friendly advice you could receive. It comes from a deep, painful experience and with the authenticity of a mother’s broken heart.”

    The Rev. Dr. Steven R. Rottgers, Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, Author of I Am Yours

  • “Not only is this book a must-read for anyone suffering a loss of suicide, it is also a guide offering support for those living with a loved one who suffers from mental illness….Rather than hiding behind the stigma of suicide and weighing the reader with unnecessary stats and references, Linda’s heartfelt storytelling opens the door for us survivors to move through our pain and start healing.”

    Monica Pedersen, Former HGTV Host, Author, Interior Designer

Public Speaking

Complete the form below if you would like Linda Pacha, author of Saving Ourselves From Suicide—Before and After: How to Ask for Help, Recognize Warning Signs, and Navigate Grief, to speak with your group about any of the following: her experiences caring for a teenager with a mental health issue (including how to recognize warning signs of suicide), parenting a bullied child, living with the stigma of mental health and suicide, navigating the grief journey and surviving a loss, relying on faith while grieving, and living with more compassion.

Book Group Discussion Questions for Saving Ourselves from Suicide—Before and After: How to Ask for Help, Recognize Warning Signs, and Navigate Grief

Thank you for reading Saving Ourselves from Suicide—Before and After: How to Ask for Help, Recognize Warning Signs, and Navigate Grief. To enrich your reading experience, I have provided the following discussion questions. Whether you are a member of a reading group or just want to sit back and ponder these questions on your own, I hope they will inspire good thought and even positive action.—Linda

  • Have you or someone close to you ever reached a point where you felt you could not go on anymore? If you are willing to talk about it, please share who or what helped you (or them) to continue in life?
  • What does mental health mean to you, and how do you try to obtain or maintain it? What does mental illness mean to you?
  • How do you reach out to others and show kindness and compassion if they seem lonely or overwhelmed? Please share some examples. What more can you do to show these virtues? How can you encourage others to do the same?
  • What is one personal challenge or question you have that this book addresses?
  • How do you find hope in your life? What people and/or things give you hope? How can you offer or inspire hope to others?
  • If you have experienced a significant loss, what part of the grief process did you, or do you, find most challenging? Why? What have you done, or do you do now, to overcome those challenges?
  • What misconceptions about mental health or suicide have you experienced or witnessed? What can you do, or have you already done, to help correct those misconceptions?
  • How did your school-age years compare to what kids are experiencing today? If there are differences, why?
  • The author gives recommendations for how we can reduce the pressure that we, as a society, put on ourselves and our youth. Give an example of the type of pressure you or your loved ones have experienced and explain what has helped reduce it.
  • What is your experience with bullying? Explain how bullying has affected you or someone you know.