This week, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, with a donation from producer James L. Brooks, is launching The Lifeline Gallery, a powerful virtual space where suicide survivors, attempt survivors, and suicide prevention supporters can share their stories.

Basically, you can create an animated avatar that looks like you (or not), then record your two-minute message by phone. The website instantly links your message to your avatar’s lips, and then you can save your story in the gallery. You can also e-mail your story or embed it on your MySpace, Facebook, or other website. (For those not using a U.S.-based number, you can also type your story and the site will transcribe it your words into speech.)

After the cut, I’ll let the project speak for itself (turn on your speakers to hear her story):

“If you can’t [talk about suicide], maybe your avatar can,” says Christopher Gandin Le, co-creator of the Lifeline Gallery… “The Gallery offers a safe platform for people who have traditionally stayed silent about suicide and mental health.” (from the Lifeline press release)

Every year, 32,000 people die by suicide in the U.S. — that’s more than deaths related to HIV/AIDS and homicide combined. Suicide is the 2nd or 3rd leading cause of death for people under 35. Many of you reading this have lost a loved one to suicide; the shock waves of a suicide can resonate for years, as you well know.

These personal stories are deeply affecting, as are the faces in the Gallery who tell them. When, in our daily lives, are we encouraged to talk about something so personal, yet so unfortunately common, as suicide? I love that this Gallery harnesses the semi-anonymity of the internet so that people can create an avatar who will tell their story online.

I can only imagine how powerful it would be to visit this site as a person in crisis, or someone mourning a lost loved one, to know that you are not alone and that help is just a phone call away.

FULL DISCLOSURE: You might have already noticed, but my husband, Chris, is the co-creator of this Gallery. This explains any super-proud language above.

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Beauty in a Wicked World is a weekly column by Jennifer Gandin Le. It appears on Wednesdays.