September 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day, and to commemorate the occasion, Peer Connections Manitoba is inviting people to mark themselves with a very special tattooed symbol. The mental health support program is partnering with Living Canvas Tattoo to offer the now-famous semicolon tattoo for a minimum donation of $20. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The semicolon tattoo first rose to prominence in 2013 with advocate Amy Bluel founding Project Semicolon as a way for people struggling with mental health to be reminded that their story is not over. For Peer Connections Manitoba participant Shelley Mercer, her semicolon tattoo – which she incorporated into the word “warrior” - symbolizes not only her own story, but also that of her daughter Pauline who took her own life in 2023. “The more people I see with it, the happier it makes me,” she said in an interview on Morning Light. "It’s become a worldwide phenomenon where people are showing their support,” says Monique Levesque-Pharoah, director of development with Peer Connections Manitoba, noting that the partnership with Living Canvas Tattoo was made because of the shared connection over the tattoo’s meaning and the loss of loved ones to suicide. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LIVING CANVAS TATTOO (@living_canvas_tattoo) This shared symbol of support is the latest in Peer Connections Manitoba’s goal to provide hands-on support to people experiencing mental health challenges without a diagnosis or clinical referral. While these services can be accessed by people on a wide scale of mental health symptoms and intensities, Levesque-Pharoah is keen to highlight the peer support service as a tool to assist those in acute crisis situations. “We have drop-in peer services on Monday,” she lists. “On Tuesdays, we have a grief and loss support group in the evenings. And on Thursdays, we have family peer support.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Peer Connections Manitoba (@peerconnectionsmb) Mercer describes these supports as having saved her life since her daughter’s passing. “I was a complete mess and I reached out to Peer Connections and I was paired with a fantastic peer supporter,” she recalls, “and the thing is they don’t give you advice – they take your hand and they walk you through the journey. They ask you questions and it leads you to the right conclusion. They have literally saved my life.” Living Canvas Tattoo is offering the semicolon tattoo deal in support of Peer Connections Manitoba at their 1328 St. James Street location from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on World Suicide Prevention Day. To learn more about Peer Connections Manitoba’s programming or to make a donation, visit their website.