Beloved radio host Delilah is speaking out about the loss of her son, Zachariah, who tragically took his own life earlier this month.
Delilah says her “heart is struggling to continue to beat” after the death of her child, who succumbed to a battle with depression.
The 57-year-old posted a number of childhood photos of her late son, along with a poem by Mary Jean Irion, in his memory.
She writes, “Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.”
“Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.”
“One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,” she adds.
“Or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.”
“There will not be another ‘normal day’ with my Zack-Attack, at least not in this life time,” Delilah wrote in her emotional post.
“No more cooking his favorite foods or bringing home gallons of his favorite juice, no more laughter around the bonfire or Christmas mornings.”
“My heart is struggling to continue to beat.”
“Thank you for your prayers, love and support. Please pray for his grandparents, his siblings, his dad and his friends,” she added.
“We are all doing our best to focus on his joyful heart, his wild free spirit and his smile,” she concluded, still reeling from the pain.
Fans first learned of Delilah’s son’s suicide after she shared the sad news with her friends and fans on Facebook on October 7.
She wrote that he was “being treated, counseled, and embraced fiercely by family and friends while battling depression for some time now.”
My heart is broken beyond repair and I can not fathom how to go on… but I have to believe he is at peace with the Lord.”
She hopes “that God will get us through.”
Delilah revealed that Zachariah left a suicide note behind, though she did not reveal its specific contents for obvious reasons.
The “Queen of Sappy Love Songs” also announced that she would be taking some time away from work in light of all this.
“I will be absent from the radio and on social media for a time as I grieve and try to process this loss with my family,” she said.
“Please pray for my beloved Zacky, and I will pray for all suffering from this debilitating disease called depression.”
Delilah’s radio show, simply known as Delilah, based in the Pacific Northwest, regularly reaches more than eight million listeners.
It’s unclear when that will resume.
Sadly, Zachariah isn’t the first child the mother of 13 – yes, she has 13 children, 10 of whom are adopted – has lost already.
One of her adopted sons, Sammy, tragically passed away back in 2012 from complications from sickle-cell anemia.
On her Facebook page, Delilah also shared the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.
We urge anyone who may be considering such action – or who knows someone who may be – to call it immediately.
