Suicide plagues a generation unlike it ever has before. A generation that is more anxious, more depressed, more insecure than any generation prior; however, an organization founded right here in the Classic City has taken a stance to combat the suicide epidemic that has taken too many lives: The Fight Against Suicide. It is a cause that not only raises money for research on the suicidal brain but devotes itself to educate this generation on how to handle these terrible thoughts that enter their minds and those around them, preaching, “It’s ok to not be ok.”

    For the fifth straight year, TFAS hosted its annual boxing match to punch suicide right in the mouth. 24 boxers entered a ring for 12 fights not just seeking victory over their opponents but claiming victory over suicide.

    On February 11, 2020, a former Sigma Chi at the University of Georgia named Sam Asbury took his own life. Come fall of 2021, David Edmiston, Cooper Heath, Jackson Stuart and a group of Sigma Chis had the bright idea to put boxing gloves on college students, throw them in front of thousands of people and let them literally fight suicide to raise awareness and money for a cause that needed attention.

    Crazy idea, you might think. Flash forward four years, Edmiston and Co. alongside the Sam Asbury Foundation put on their 10th fight, spreading to various campuses across the southeast like the University of South Carolina, Auburn University, the University of Alabama and North Carolina State University.

    In the fall of 2021 at the first ever fight, a blonde, curly-headed kid, weighing in at 171lbs, stepped in that ring. His name was Hamilton Culpepper. That’s right, this guy got his butt handed to him in front of over a thousand people; however, for the first time in my life, I did something that was far beyond me. It was more than throwing punches, it was fighting for a cause that’s stolen the lives of far too many people my age and beyond.

    I had the opportunity of helping with TFAS10 here at UGA a few weeks ago, interviewing fighters before their bouts in the ring and as the ringside reporter. That same answer that I stepped in the ring for rang true among all 24 fighters whether they won or lost: “We step in the ring to join the army, fighting for something bigger than ourselves. We fight for those who no longer can and to bring awareness to this issue so no family has to experience the horrors of losing a loved one to suicide.”

    On Friday, September 26, TFAS10 was held at the Cotton Press in Athens. The red carpet was rolled out and thousands flooded through the gates to watch their friends duke it out in the ring. It made for a bloody, magical evening. Tuxes and ball gowns clothed the spectators while chants of fighter’s names echoed through the arena as if Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were taking the stage before them. Despite the spectacle in front of their eyes, it wasn’t just this night that rallied the troops of this army fighting suicide.

    The week leading up to the fight, countless students gathered at various events around town for what was called “Wellness Week.” Testimonials were given by those that have lost close friends to suicide and struggled with suicidal thoughts themselves. Then, Dr. Carrie Smith, Lead Suicide Prevention Trainer, gave a QPR seminar to the volunteers and fighters in TFAS. Dr. Smith sat down and educated the students how to question (check in on their peers), persuade, (convince their friends that this world is better with them in it) and refer (put them in contact with professionals who can give them the proper tools to fight their mental illness).

    It all led to Thursday night’s weigh-in, where hundreds watched these boxers stand face-to-face for the first time. After the week of fellowship, encouragement, education and a little healthy competition, the literal fight was just gravy.

    This is not just a boxing match. This is an army. And together, the Fight Against Suicide is inspiring millions to get back in the ring and keep throwing punches in this struggle. We’re all in the ring together and eventually, we will deliver the knockout blow to suicide.