“You can curse the darkness or light a candle. The choice is yours.”

- Patrick Kane

OUR WHY:

On March 22nd 2021, our loving brother Sgt. Jonathan Delgado took his life. As an active duty infantryman in the Marine Corps since 2013, Jonathan spent his early adult years serving his country to include multiple deployments to the Middle East.

Jonathan was "bigger than life". He knew how to live and embrace every moment. Jon could make friends anywhere he went and was always loved by many. He had a talent for getting under people's skin but was always there when you needed him. He was a great little brother and we love him so very much.

As an active duty military family ourselves, we were not unfamiliar with the saying "22 A Day", referring to the statistic that nearly 22 veterans take their lives each day. We have lost dear friends over the years as we have served, but never imagined our family being a part of that statistic.

When we received the phone call, our world was shattered. There are not enough words in the English language to describe the loss, trauma, and devastation we felt when we lost Jon. We were in total shock for a long time. We will never be "ok", but we have found ways to move forward. We still feel the impact of his loss each and everyday, and to say we miss him is an incredible understatement.

After his loss, I (Amanda Delgado) began to research various Veteran Suicide organizations to donate to. Excessive amounts of research later, I discovered that Stop Solider Suicide did so much to prevent, stop, and rehab veterans struggling with suicidal thoughts. While I felt I could not get personally involved, I knew I could raise funds and support for the people who could directly help.

Our goal is to raise awareness and funds for Stop Soldier Suicide, in order to prevent other families from going through the loss and trauma that we have. We hope to honor Jon and keep his name and memory alive by supporting those fighting the fight against veteran suicide.