*Trigger Warning: This story contains descriptions and information about suicidal ideation, which may be triggering. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please seek help. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24-hours a day at 1-800-273-8255 or chat with someone via Crisis Text Line for assistance.
“Our mission with this music video is to raise awareness of suicidality and to show how communities can uplift individuals in their time of need. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but we are always stronger together.”
The music video “Her Cold Hands” was created for a song written and sung by gifted storyteller Stephen Covell, an Army combat medic who served multiple deployments in Iraq. The song is about his personal struggle with suicide and how he worked through it.
“It’s like a bad relationship,” he says in this podcast interview. “You have these ideas in your head that you know are not right, but there’s something that draws you back to it over and over again. It’s like being in a relationship with someone that’s toxic for you. So this song turned into a short story of that relationship that you have with those feelings and how there’s some odd comfort that comes along with it, but it’s ultimately sick and you need to work you’re way out of it.”
Stephen is part of Operation Encore, a nonprofit organization that supports military veteran singer/songwriters with their professional music careers. The nonprofit produced the song and supported this film. Ben Needham-Woods is the choreographer, Terez Dean and John Orr are the dancers, Matt McKee is the director, and Adam Rossi produced the recording of the song.
Stephen, the cast, and the crew, all hope that this film can help others dealing with suicidal ideation. To anyone who is struggling with this, Stephen recommends expressing how they feel: “Talk. Talk with people. Write it out. If you don’t want to share your feelings with other people, write it down. Look over those notes and just see that it’s just a story you’re telling yourself.”
Check out a behind-the-scenes clip from the ‘Her Cold Hands’ below + watch the entire music video here.
Remember, you deserve to get help if you need it. To learn how you can help someone in emotional pain, visit https://www.hercoldhands.com/