The main image of my quilt is a man by himself with a zipper over his mouth and X’s over his eyes and ears. I chose to use a zipper instead of sewing his mouth closed because a zipper still has the chance of being opened.The X’s over his eyes symbolize that he struggles to recognize that he has problems, as well as solutions and avenues of support. I also put X’s over his ears because he cannot hear his supporters reaching out to help him.

The man has a thought bubble saying “Don't tell him, be a MAN”  showing the stereotypical norms set by society as to how a male should respond to his feelings by burying them, even though this is worst possible thing to do because when you bury everything in a shallow grave, it only takes one good storm for it all to resurface.

I selected the phrase “Don’t Bury It” especially because it was a phrase my brother wrote in his suicide note. It is special to me, and I hope that it speaks to someone else who might be fighting to stay alive.