The timing of this article is not a coincidence; September is National Suicide Awareness Month, and teenage suicide is a bona fide epidemic in this country. It is the second leading cause of death for both males and females in this age group. Dean and Alysia and their two surviving children hope beyond hope that by speaking out about their pain and about Alexandra’s life and death that they can spare other families from going through the same trauma and perhaps save some lives.
I have to admit, reading Alexandra’s story made me want to get in my car and drive to my son’s high school, pull him out of class and ask him if he had ever thought about taking his own life or hurting himself. Like the Valoras’, I think I know my child well. He seems happy and well-adjusted, and he is successful in school. He has wonderful friends and he lives in a home where he is safe, loved and cherished. But for Alexandra, it wasn’t enough. And now I find myself needing to know if it is enough for my child as well.
My son and I will be having a conversation tonight.
The Valoras’ say that this type of conversation is exactly what they hope to inspire by sharing their painful story.
Moms and dads, even if you have no reason to suspect that your child is having suicidal thoughts, please talk to them. Please. Do it so that you will not have to experience the pain that Dean and Alysia did when they followed the GPS tracking from Alexandra’s phone and found their daughter, cold, at the bottom of an overpass.
And please, please, if you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Your life is precious. Please stay.
