“The first time I realized
Isaiah Lesley
“The first time I realized I didn’t want to be alive, I was 8 years old.”
I wrote those words because conversations about suicide often begin at the end.
After the tragedy.
After the loss.
After everyone asks what signs they missed.
But rarely do we talk about the years before.
The childhood pain.
The grief.
The pressure to be strong.
The moments where someone is still succeeding while silently struggling.
Keep Going is a reflection on suicide, bipolar depression, grief, ambition, masculinity, and what happens when we ask people to reach out without acknowledging how difficult it can be to believe help will change anything.
This is not a story about having all the answers.
It is a question:
What happens when there is no escape from the black hole?
Read “Keep Going” on Substack.
Link in bio.
🎙️ I continue this conversation on my podcast, Why I Won’t Give Up.
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Posted Jul 13, 2026
“The first time I realized I didn’t want to be alive, I was 8 years old.” I wrote those words because conversations about suicide often begin at the end. Aft...
