A Collinsville teen committed suicide. Her parents are turning heartache into action.
Health problems, a sexual assault and bullying on social media made life miserable for Isabell Suria.
The Collinsville teen committed suicide last year, devastating her family and friends and leading her parents and other concerned citizens to form a non-profit foundation to raise awareness and help young people cope with trauma, stress, anxiety and depression.
“Eventually, we want to open up healing centers across the United States,” said Isabell’s mother, Laura Suria, 48. “They will be alternative and holistic, not like traditional counseling and the prescribing of medications. We will work on the physical, as well as the emotional.”
The foundation is called “From Pain Comes Strength,” a phrase that Isabell, a former Collinsville High School cheerleader, had tattooed on her back shortly before her death at 18.
Laura recently sold her child-care centers in O’Fallon and Fairview Heights to devote more time to the cause, which has turned her heartache into action. She’s made presentations as far away as Florida, participated in a suicide-awareness walk and worked one-on-one with troubled teens.
On Saturday, the foundation will have a music festival and fundraiser at Woodland Park in Collinsville with local bands from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a car show from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be vendor booths, a silent auction, kids corner, food trucks and raffles. Tickets cost $5 to $20.
Belleville singer and producer Willie Jones, better known as “Willie J,” will perform a song he wrote about Isabell’s tragedy.
“It’s an epidemic, and you get tired of hearing about these babies and teens taking themselves out,” he said. “I wish the kids would understand that social media is an illusion. It’s not really real.”
Willie, 40, said he’s a sexual-assault survivor who became suicidal after his mother’s death from breast cancer in 2006. He wasn’t a bullied teenager at the time, but he understands how the world’s harsh realities can cause people to feel hopeless.
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Teen suicide on the rise nationally
The number of U.S. suicides among young people, ages 10 to 19, dropped from 1,857 in 1999 to 1,661 in 2007, then it began climbing again to reach 2,553 in 2016, according to a report published last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That included 1,866 males and 687 females.
The number of suicides in that age group rose to 3,008 in 2017.
“Suffocation was the leading method among children and adolescents aged 10-19 years in 2016, slightly outnumbering suicide involving firearms,” the CDC report stated. Poisoning was third.
The Madison County coroner’s office reported two teen suicides in 2015 (ages 18 and 19); one in 2016 (age 14); three in 2017 (ages 17, 18 and 18); and four in 2018 (ages 14, 17, 17 and 18). There have been none so far this year. Figures weren’t available from St. Clair County.
Collinsville resident Stephanie Ferguson, who is helping Laura organize Saturday’s fundraiser, blames much of the problem on social media.
“The kids can’t escape what’s happening,” she said. “They’re constantly being reminded of their mistakes (through cyberbullying). When we were kids, if something happened at school, it was over when the bell rang. But today, it’s not that way.”
Stephanie, 52, is a hospital catering manager who reached out to Laura last year when she heard about Isabell’s death. Stephanie said her daughter, Hannah Ferguson, 18, struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts after suffering four concussions playing soccer, which kept her home from school and strained friendships.
Today, Hannah is attending Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville. She said she’s feeling better, but she’s concerned that the suicide risk among teens isn’t getting enough attention.
“It just gets pushed under the rug,” Hannah said. “People die every day, and nothing gets done about it.”
Downturn started with health issues
Isabell was the daughter of Laura and her husband, Rick Suria, an independent contractor. They also have a son, Logan Suria, 15.
As a freshman, Isabell made the varsity cheerleading squad at Collinsville High School and also competed in cheerleading with Pride of Illinois.
Laura said her daughter’s problems began in 2014, when she had a negative reaction to the vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus. Isabell later developed a series of health issues, including insomnia, back pain and blockages in her digestive tract, forcing her to take leave from school.
“If you’re on homebound, you have to stay home,” Laura said. “You can’t socialize. So she was really getting depressed.”
Laura said Isabell went to a New Year’s Eve house party on Dec. 31, 2015, in Collinsville, where she was drugged and raped by three male teenagers, but that she was too ashamed to admit it until February, when her parents received an anonymous tip in the mail.
Last week, Collinsville Police Department verified that the family filed a report, detectives conducted an investigation and the Madison County state’s attorney determined there wasn’t enough evidence for prosecution. Officials declined a Freedom of Information Act request for paperwork because the case involves juveniles.
The Surias and Fergusons said many CHS students knew about Isabell’s sexual assault, and some started posting mean comments on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
“Not only was she a victim of what happened, but then her friends turned on her,” Stephanie said. “Her character was in question.”
Isabell died two weeks after birthday
Isabell left CHS in 2016 and enrolled in a Southwestern Illinois College program for non-high-school graduates. Her mother said she continued to struggle with health issues and periodic cyberbullying, but there was no apparent trigger that caused her to take her own life on Jan. 25, 2018.
The family is keeping other details of the suicide private.
Amy Ferguson, another Collinsville resident who’s helping the Surias plan Saturday’s fundraiser, joined From Pain Comes Strength because she wants to help educate the public on mental illness.
Amy, 47, a stay-at-home mom and water-aerobics instructor, said her 18-year-old daughter, Julia Ferguson, developed post-traumatic stress disorder 2 1/2 years ago, when the family’s home burned down; and that the PSTD has caused anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
“Everybody looks at mental illness as something to be ashamed of, and not everybody is suicidal, but they’re afraid to get help,” Amy said. “They’re afraid to tell people that that have these issues.”
Special guests at Saturday’s fundraiser will include Steph Carse, singer and president of Y i Count, an organization that helps young people celebrate their differences and recognize their self-worth; and Makaila Nichols, motivational speaker and author of the 2016 book “Blatantly Honest: Normal Teen, Abnormal Life.”
Laura said proceeds will go toward programs and activities that raise awareness of bullying, sexual assault and suicide and help create a loving, healing environment for teens.
“There’s just such a need for people who can provide resources or just be there to listen,” Stephanie said.
For more information on the music festival or foundation, visit the From Pain Comes Strength Facebook page. People in crisis, particularly those with suicidal thoughts, are encouraged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 10:34 AM.
