When 15-year-old Sadie Riggs took her own life, her family was completely devastated.
It’s hard to imagine how someone Sadie’s age could be depressed enough to follow through with such a drastic action.
But her family knew why she died and wanted to make it clear who was to blame.
In the first part of the obituary, they followed the usual formula: They described who Sadie was and what she liked. They mentioned that Sadie played softball and loved to read and draw. But then, they took a different turn and deviated from tradition…
In a sincere message, Sadie’s family described exactly who was to blame for their daughter’s death:
“In an effort to debunk the rumors about Sadie’s death, we would like to share this information. Yes, Sadie took her own life, she hung herself. It is hard to fathom that someone so young could be so troubled. Sadie was seeking help, she was in counselling and taking medication, but it was all too much for such a young soul to live with. If you take a minute and look at Sadie’s family dynamics you will see that a large percent of the people in her life were not related to her by blood but she was sent to us by God who knew this child needed a family.
“Sadie had a tough life and until a recent incident at school, she handled everything life served her. For a young lady so excited about going to high school, things sure went terribly wrong for her. For the bullies involved, please know you were effective in making her feel worthless. That is all between you and God now, but please know that it is not too late to change your ways.”
Sadie’s family continued the obituary by pointing out the pain that so many people suffer from bullying:
“To all the bullies out there, I just want you to know that as much as we despise your actions, never, ever do we wish for you to feel the paralyzing pain that engulfs our bodies, a pain so severe that it makes the simple act of breathing difficult or the guilt that leaves us wondering what we could have done differently – or that struggle to remember the last words we spoke…”
And in a twist, the family ended the obituary with some hope:
“In lieu of flowers, the family of Sadie ask that you be kind to one another.”
Unfortunately Sadie’s is not a unique case. According to bullyingstatistics.org, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, and at least half of those are related to bullying.
I will never stop writing or sharing stories like this until bullying ends!
We can start changing the situation today by setting a good example. Treat your family, friends and colleagues with respect, kindness and love.
Like and share if you want to help create a better world — one where children don’t kill themselves because of bullying.
