Sheri Friemel turned the worst day of her life into an opportunity to help others going through the worst day of their lives. And she is not the only one.
Friemel is the Amarillo Area LOSS Team (AALT) Program Manager for the Amarillo Public Health Department. Friemel has experienced one of the worst tragedies – the loss of her son to suicide in 2018.
Friemel spent five years volunteering as an AALT advocate, providing love, care and help to individuals who lost a loved one, friend or family member to the tragedy of suicide. It has become her calling, as Friemel has been the AALT Program Manager for almost two years.
AALT provides an array of resources, from being on the scene of a suicide to helpfriends and family members to counseling and peer and grief support to also providing resources for scene restoration. All AALT services are provided free of charge. The AALT has four city staff members and 18 volunteers. And like Friemel, almost all are suicide loss survivors.
“Being with people that can understand … that get it, and knowing that there are other survivors out there and having those conversations, is very important,” Friemel said. “It does not mean it is better or that it hurts less. It is just good to be with someone who gets it. Nobody is looking to judge or diagnose – just to witness. You can almost feel the energy when you walk into a peer support group.”
The AALT, which is fully funded by state grants and serves the Amarillo area and Potter and Randall counties, is often referred to the scene of a suicide by law enforcement or a justice of the peace. The AALT has responded to 40 such scenes in the past 11 months.
“Scene restoration is huge, and we have a great relationship with law enforcement that is very important,” said Friemel, who speaks at Amarillo Police Department academies.
That relationship is evident in APD Officer Tommy McFarlin, a 34-year-old Amarillo native who was part of APD’s 105th graduating class in January and now serves as a patrolman. He became a police officer as a way to honor his sister, who he lost to suicide when he was 17 years old.
“That was the reason I became a police officer,” McFarlin said. “I was sitting in church one day and I had this overwhelming feeling. Something spoke to me – you serve your church and your community. Now go serve Amarillo. That day I got on Facebook and saw APD was hiring for their next academy. It has been a blessing ever since.”
In addition to his personal experience, McFarlin heard Friemel speak to recruits at the 105th APD Academy and has been on-scene when the AALT responded to what is a tragic event.
“This team is a tremendous help to law enforcement,” McFarlin said. “We can bring someone in whose sole focus is that person and what they are going through. Having these advocates for people who are going through the worst day of their life is a huge benefit to the community. I would absolutely recommend the services that the team provides.”
Ty Vernon, the assistant director of Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare (AAMW), is another city employee who is also a suicide loss survivor. He lost his brother-in-law to suicide in 2020. The counseling and ongoing support provided by the AALT has been vital for the Vernon family.
“I think the biggest thing for us has been the continued support from the LOSS Team,” said Vernon, who has been with AAMW for 10 years. “Scene restoration is a great resource and really lifts a burden. The counseling has been very effective. We still get signed cards from the team, and it lets us know we are not forgotten.”
The AALT is hosting a special event for suicide loss survivors (Breath-Heal-Live) on September 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive. The public is welcome.
For more information on the AALT, go to: www.amarillo.gov/public-health/suicide-survivors-outreach/
Also for more information, contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.