14 year old girl ends her life

On the morning of June 9th 2019 a 14 year old girl by the name of Cassidy took her own life. She is talked about by her family as a very smart and funny girl, they never saw it coming. Cassidy excelled in school, finishing middle school as an honor roll student. She was looking forward to high school and had aspirations to become a teacher in her future. Cassidy’s family refuses to say good-bye, but rather say, “see you later.” They are all looking forward to the day they can throw their arms around this sweet innocent girl and tell her how much she was loved. The family has started an official GoFundMe account and can be found by going to gofundme.com and typing Allison Taitano in the search engine.

Suicide amoungst teens is an epidemic that has been growing over the years. Presently statistics indicate that yearly over 5,000 teens end their lives and is considered the leading cause of death among people ages 5-24. Many people from older generations think that the new generation has it so easy but fail to recognize what kids these days go through on a daily basis.

All of the victims information is readily available to anyone who seeks it, bullies can harass them at school then continue the abuse online when they are home. This needs to stop! Our community needs to realize that these children are the future, we need to build them up every chance we get, not spend our lives tearing them down. They are living in a completely different world than you were when you were their age. As adults we should be aware of this and be available to show love and support to your communities youth. The kids in our community don’t feel like they are safe or have a place to go where they can just be themselves free of judgement. They are constantly trying to live up to unrealistic expectations that friends and family members have put on them, Sometimes it’s hard to remember, but these children are just children, they deserve a chance to be kids while they still can. I’m not saying they don’t need to do chores, or be held accountable for their grades, but think back to when you where a child. Remember jumping on your bike with your friends and riding around town for hours until the streetlights came on, remember the freedom of the wind in your face? We need to come together and encourage our youth to embrace their childhood not force them to grow up before they are ready.

I beg you, put down this paper and hug your loved ones, tell them how much you love them and remind them how much you care, because in a world as crazy as this one you never know when you have said your last goodbye. Suicide attempts are often impulsive. If you or someone you know is dealing with depression or suicide temptations please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255. If they are a local teenager and need help, email me at [email protected] they are not alone, and there are plenty of people in our community that want to help!