A Manitoba organization is working to help children and youth experiencing a mental health crisis in memory of a teen who died 10 years ago.
Brad Mason described his late daughter, Samantha, as being full of life and laughter.
“She was the most care-free, loving, free-spirited kid you’d ever meet in your life,” Mason told Global News.
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Brad Mason says his daughter, Samantha, always had a smile on her face as a child.
Randall Paull / Global News
But Mason says as Samantha entered her teenage years, he noticed there was something more going on.
Story continues below advertisement“We found out through some friends that she had been getting bullied at school for what ended up being a couple years that we didn’t know about,” he said, adding they transferred Samantha to another school and got her counselling.
“She seemed to have turned the corner, she seemed to have been a little bit happier,” Mason said.
“And then I got a call — Sam was about 15 and a half — And I got a call at 7 o’clock in the morning from her mother that she had taken her life.”
“So for us, it was out of the blue, for sure. We thought we had turned that corner and she was onto a better, happier life. And unfortunately, she wasn’t.”
After Samantha’s death, Mason used his grief for good and honoured his daughter’s memory by launching Sam’s Foundation, which helps other kids in crisis.
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Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.“We wanted to do something in her memory and certainly something that she would be proud of. Sam was about love and empathy, and helping others,” Mason said.
“We want to create a foundation where we could identify kids in crisis and we could help get them the supports they need to help them have a better ending than Sam’s was.”
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Brad Mason started Sam’s Foundation in memory of his daughter, aiming to help other youth in crisis.
Randall Paull / Global News
The foundation partners with LiveDifferent for an ice road tour, where they take peer speakers to schools in remote and isolated First Nations communities in northern Manitoba, offering them hope and letting them know they’re not alone.
Story continues below advertisement“I don’t know if there’s ever been a child that’s taken their own life that’s had hope, that’s usually something when all hope is gone,” he said.
Mason says they’ve identified more than 1,400 youth in crisis.
“We’ve identified kids as young as 11 and 12 years old who’ve had their suicide pacts all mapped out in their school journals,” he said.
“And these three little girls — 11 and 12 years old — came up to (a peer speaker) and said, ‘Hey, we got you a present and we appreciate you coming back.’ And they reached into their pockets and they pulled out razor blades and said, ‘We’ve been self-harming and we decided we don’t want to do that and we don’t want that to be our lives anymore’.”
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Sherry Gott, Manitoba’s Advocate for Children and Youth, says last year 18 youth died by suicide in Manitoba.
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Sherry Gott, Manitoba’s Advocate for Children and Youth, says Indigenous youth are disproportionately affected in suicide rates in the province.
Jordan Pearn / Global News
“Any time a child dies, we feel it,” Gott said, adding that Indigenous youth are disproportionately affected.
Story continues below advertisement“I think Manitoba needs to ensure there’s a mental health strategy in place when addressing those issues. Not just bullying, but all mental health. We see an increase in children needing supports.”
Bernadette Smith, Manitoba’s minister responsible for mental health, says the province is currently working on a suicide prevention strategy.
“We’re looking at youth, LGBTQ folks, Indigenous folks … we’re halfway through our consultations, going right across our province, looking at directly impacted communities,” Smith told Global News.
“We have to reach everyone, we can’t allow folks to suffer in silence.”
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Bernadette Smith, Manitoba’s minister responsible for mental health, says the province is currently working on creating a suicide prevention strategy.
Jordan Pearn / Global News
Breaking that silence is one reason Mason continues to help youth in crisis through Sam’s Foundation.
“This has been part of our healing journey, for sure,” he said.
Story continues below advertisement“You like to think that things happen for a reason. When it comes to losing your child, it’s hard to think that there’s a reason for that, but saving other children is a worthwhile venture for us and makes us feel good about what we do.”
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