On a beautiful fall day in a rare moment alone, our Son Caleb died by suicide. Caleb was a brilliant student and talented athlete. He was just two months into his freshman year at Bishop Manogue High School where he earned 5 scholarships to attend. Having grown up in the same neighborhood, Caleb was well known and liked. He had many friends and a few he called best. His funny carefree spirit was one of his best qualities. He was good at making outsiders insiders and was always attracting new friends every where he went.
As we have now discovered we are not alone. There are too many families that did not see the warning signs because there were none. Just two days prior Caleb had gone to HOCO 2019. He spent the night at a friends. They had a great time dancing and hanging out. The day before he died, school and football had been cancelled for a week due to whooping cough at a near by campus. It's a decision we wish the school would have never made. It's been almost 4 years now and we are no closer to knowing why Caleb died. On this day he simply had an opportunity and means but what was the reason? This is the piece of the puzzle we will never know.
In the days following his death we formed Forever14.org, an official 501c3. Our mission is to advance conversation and human connection to prevent teen suicide. We believe that by talking about suicide and connecting in community, we can take ownership and help develop a sense of purpose and global perspective on the epidemic that is killing our kids.
As we continue in our mission, we recognize that Forever14 gives people permission to talk about a difficult subject. We hear so many stories just like ours, "there were no signs". So many, too many have lost a loved one recently or years and decades ago. This pain lingers forever. The stigma forbids us from sharing our story and talking about our own losses. We also get to meet those who have silently struggled and survived. These are the times we know conversation and connection saves lives.
We can never bring back our son and he can never experience all he has missed but we are encouraged by people we meet. We believe suicide is preventable. Together we can be #SuicideFreeToday
