Photo: gofundme
A 17-year-old teenager from California who suffered from depression took his own life after blaming himself for his father’s COVID-19 death, his mother said.
Stephanie told the news station that their son, Anthony Jr., believed he was to blame for his father’s death because he invited them to an event at school just before they became infected.
“He felt guilty. He felt like he was the one who got us sick,” Reyes said of Anthony Jr. “He felt like he was the reason why his dad was gone and we talked to him all the time, and told him, ‘It wasn’t your fault.'”
“The whole coronavirus affected me in many ways, and the way the pandemic affected me the most was through my mental state,” he wrote in an essay for one of his classes in August 2020, according to theLos Angeles Times.
“With everything being closed, it was becoming increasingly harder to stay home with my depression,” he said.
Though Reyes recognized her son’s feelings and tried to get him into counseling, she couldn’t find an open appointment in time.
Three days after Christmas, Reyes woke up at 4 a.m. and saw her son’s bedroom light was on. She soon discovered that Anthony Jr. had taken his own life.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
AGoFundMecampaign has been started to help Reyes pay for Anthony Jr.’s funeral, and it has raised nearly $14,000 as of Wednesday evening.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
