World Suicide Prevention Day 2025: Michael Elwan’s Story of Hope

I'm feeling a deep sense of humility and gratitude today. I've been selected as one of the two stories of hope featured by Suicide Prevention Australia for World Suicide Prevention Day 2025; it's a real privilege to stand alongside such powerful voices in this space.

As someone who's walked the path of being a carer and a survivor of loss, especially within culturally and linguistically diverse communities, this recognition hits close to home. It's not just about my journey; it's about breaking down the walls of shame and silence that too often surround suicide, turning them into pathways of courage and connection.

The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day this year is 'Changing the Narrative on Suicide', and that resonates with me on so many levels. For me, it's about shattering the shame that grips CaLD communities, showing that vulnerability isn't a sign of weakness but a bold act of strength. I've seen firsthand how grief, survival, and love shape our knowledge, humanising policies and revealing the blind spots that systems sometimes miss. My lived experience has taught me that open dialogue and culturally safe support can transform lives; it's why I founded Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs) and why I'm pursuing my PhD in mental health. I hope to see young people chatting freely about their struggles, communities reclaiming traditional healing practices, and lived experience shifting from mere inclusion to true leadership, particularly for men and families in diverse backgrounds.

In sharing my story on the Suicide Prevention Australia site, I reflect on how personal tragedy has fuelled my advocacy. By age 14, I'd already faced profound loss, and that set me on a path to become a social worker with many years in mental health, community services, and suicide prevention. Today, as a counsellor, consultant, and part of their Lived Experience Panel, I bring those insights to the forefront. It's about turning pain into purpose, ensuring that voices like mine help create a world where more lives are saved. Suicide remains the top killer for Aussies aged 15 to 44, with over 3,000 deaths and 55,000 attempts each year; these aren't just stats, they're stories waiting to be heard and healed.

If this moves you, I encourage you to get involved. Check out the events calendar on the Suicide Prevention Australia website, or explore resources from the International Association for Suicide Prevention, like lighting a candle in remembrance or joining the cycle around the globe challenge. There's an MP engagement toolkit on the way too, packed with tools to push for real change at the national level. Let's keep the conversation going; share your own experiences if you're ready, and together, we can build a future filled with hope and empathy.

Thanks for reading, and take it easy out there.

Based in Perth, WA, LEXs provides telehealth counselling across Australia for individuals, couples, and NDIS participants. Services extend to Social Work supervision, Peer Work supervision, training, and keynote speaking on men’s mental health, CaLD community wellbeing, and culturally responsive suicide prevention; helping people and organisations make mental-health care more compassionate, inclusive, and effective. LEXs provides services across Australia, supporting clients in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and beyond. To learn more about our work across Australia, visit LEXs' services.