The Suicide Awareness Bus and Spirit House visits Espanola. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Cory Richez gives a tour of the outside of the bus. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Some of the items on the walls inside the Suicide Bus a& Spirit House. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Cory Richez and Kelly Logan. Courtesy photo

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Cory Richez and his wife Kelly Logan brought the Suicide Awareness Bus & Spirit House to an open house at Rivera’s Funerals and Cremations in Espanola Oct. 2 as part of their their ongoing mission to raise awareness for suicide and provide an opportunity for grieve for those they have lost.

They have been on the road for more than five years in one of three buses that have covered more than 100,000 in multiple states. The “memorial wall” on the bus carries thousands of signatures of survivors, names of those who were lost, and everything from ashes to locks of hair that have been given to them by people who are grieving.

Two important pieces of information: The 24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting the number 988. And the bus’s travels may be followed on their Facebook page.

While showing the Los Alamos Reporter around the bus, Richez said the idea of this memorial wall is to provide a positive way to grieve when it comes to loved ones who have left this world in “a drastic moment”.

“The way this memorial wall works is if you encounter it in person, you can see it, you can touch it, you can feel, it, you can bring a memory and you can add that to it. You can add the name of your loved one yourself. You can find us on social media and send us the names of your loved ones and we wlll add them and send you back a photo,” Richez said.

The couple parls the bus in different hotspots around the nation. like the Gorge Bridge near Taos, that are know for people taking their own lives. In 2019, Richez lost his step-son to suicide.

“Something happened to me. I realized that nothing matters besides mental health. I was depressed for a year and a half and realized that my assets weren’t making me any less depressed. I sold everything I owned to go do something small, so significantly, that it might just help my own soul and just maybe it might help somebody else. I had no idea the world would appreciate it this much,” he said.

Richez said the stigma behind suicide, is that we are unconditionally taught not to talk about the things that really hurt us.

“We’re taught not to to talk about people who left this world in a drastic moment. Just because they leave the world in a drastic moment doesn’t mean that their story is over. If we don’t normalize talking about our loved ones who leave this world, then there is no way to be able to cope or to be able to teach our children that such things do happen in their own lives,” he said.

The bus is decorated with names of both those who lost their lives to suicide and those who are sucide survivors. It carries people’s ashes and obituaries and momentoes wherever it goes.

Kelly and Cory have been traveling across the country providing an outlet for people processing grief. Kelly is a survivor of multiple suicide attempts. She says she is grateful to be a part of this amazing mission. The goal of their journey is to lower the stigma of mental health and make a difference in the lives of everyone they meet. In addition to a space to grieve, the couple hands out Narcan, fentanyl test strips, condoms, clothing and winter gear when needed.

The front of the Suicie Bus & Sprit House bears the important message – You Matter. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

The names of those who were lost to suicide as well as those who survived have been written on the sides of the bus. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

A map of places the three Suicide Bus & Spirit House units have traveled to. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Inside the front window of the Suicide Bus & Spirit House. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com