In Leavittsburg, families touched by suicide met for the 26th annual survivors of suicide candlelight vigil.

The event remembers Valerie Kopiak, who was just 19 years old when she took her own life, and others who lost their lives while offering families of those loved ones a place to come together.

"November 20 is National Suicide Awareness Day, my chest jumped out my body and hit the floor, because that's the day my Val died, and we're going to have vigil.", said Mary Kopiak, Valerie's mother.

Each year since then, her mother and other survivors of suicide have come together to share their stories.

"As long as I'm alive this vigil will be here.", added Kopiak.

Jenah Shank, is also a suicide survivor--her brother passed away shortly after returning home from the Gulf War. She says suicide has a tendency to run in families.

"A lot of times it's generational too, you may have one in the family and then you may have someone else in the family.", said Shank, adding the importance of talking about it.

She also hopped on the strings to play a few songs she wrote. Each family came up to to light a candle, while the names of their loved ones echoed through the church. Mary says the stigma surrounding suicide has changed over the years.

"It's more acceptable now, 1998 when this happened to Val, people didn't want to talk about it.", Mary explained.