Holding The Heart When It Breaks

"Holding The Heart When It Breaks" is a song and much more than a song. It is a suicide prevention outreach meant to be heard and shared around the world to help save lives. The song was inspired by the poem of the same name written by child psychiatrist, Diane Kaufman, MD, who is the founder/director of the Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention that uses art to help educate on suicide and helps those struggling with suicidal thoughts via the power of art to connect, express, and heal. The poem was written the morning of July 27, 2023, which was the day after Dr. Kaufman attended an all day suicide prevention conference, and upon returning home learned of the death of Sinead O'Connor and the suicide of Sinead's 17 year old son Shane in January 2022. Dr. Kaufman immediately reached out on the freelance site Upwork and chose singer-songwriter Annabel Hodges for creative collaboration and then collaborated with James Manno of JAMMAN Productions. "Holding The Heart When It Breaks" won Best Original Song at both the Venice Under The Stars International Film Festival and the Paris Awards Film Festival, and won Best Lyrics at the Euro Music Video Awards.