Suicide. It's hard to talk about. It's hard to think about. It's hard to do. For someone to reach the point of wanting to end their life by their own hand… No one deserves to die in a way that made them wish they were never born. I was once someone who wanted to die. I researched, I planned, I almost went through with it. If you think it's selfish, you've never been suicidal. You've never had to sit with feeling empty or constantly wanting the pain to end. The mental pain. The emotional pain. The physical pain. 4 years ago I got a call. It was one of the worst phone calls I've ever received. A good friend/role model had ended his life. I couldn't think, I couldn't speak. I felt sick to my stomach. I cried so much and I wanted to scream. I knew in that moment that's how my loved ones would feel if I committed suicide. I also knew my buddy wasn't suffering with the thoughts and the numbness anymore. It's such a hush hush topic. If we don't speak about it then it's not happening, right? That idea needs to change. We need to open the floor for these conversations. How is your mental health? Do you have the support you need? Sunflowers in the Dark is a story about living with mental illness. I want to share my story so it helps others gain the knowledge they need in regards to mental health.

Suicide. It's hard to talk about. It's hard to think about. It's hard to do. For someone to reach the point of wanting to end their life by their own hand… No one deserves to die in a way that made them wish they were never born. I was once someone who wanted to die. I researched, I planned, I almost went through with it. If you think it's selfish, you've never been suicidal. You've never had to sit with feeling empty or constantly wanting the pain to end. The mental pain. The emotional pain. The physical pain. 4 years ago I got a call. It was one of the worst phone calls I've ever received. A good friend/role model had ended his life. I couldn't think, I couldn't speak. I felt sick to my stomach. I cried so much and I wanted to scream. I knew in that moment that's how my loved ones would feel if I committed suicide. I also knew my buddy wasn't suffering with the thoughts and the numbness anymore. It's such a hush hush topic. If we don't speak about it then it's not happening, right? That idea needs to change. We need to open the floor for these conversations. How is your mental health? Do you have the support you need? Sunflowers in the Dark is a story about living with mental illness. I want to share my story so it helps others gain the knowledge they need in regards to mental health. Writing is a huge passion of mine. I have always used it as a way to clear my mind. I believe that it is my life's calling to be that vessel in expressing a very unknown world. Getting to publish my story and share it is an extreme blessing. With the help of family and friends I'm raising money to get this dream accomplished.

Dominique Rodarte- Archuleta is twenty-five years old, at the time of publishing Sunflowers in the Dark. She lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with her husband Zachary Archuleta, their cat, Stitch, and dog, Nachito. She is the author of, "My Almost Poems Book." Mrs. Rodarte- Archuleta is the Rio Rancho Chapter Leader of Project Semicolon; a nonprofit organization that helps raise awareness for mental health and suicide. Dominique currently works with the public schools as a dedicated Educational Assistant and plans to one day become an Elementary Special Education Teacher with her current school. She is one of the biggest advocates for her students and helps them to succeed as best as she can.