Mom, friends raise awareness about teen suicide

VEAZIE, MAINE (NEWS CENTER) -- A mother is raising awareness about suicide prevention after losing her teenage son.

Sherry Williams lost her eighteen year-old son Alex Quimby to suicide last week. A former classmate of Quimby's, Collin Bates, also took his own life in September. Now Williams and her son's friends are trying to raise awareness about teen suicide. They held a candlelight vigil on Friday night. Williams told the many young people who gathered at the vigil that the choice her son made is one that he can never take back.

"I said, Think of where Alex is,'" Williams told NEWS CENTER. "'He's never coming back. He's never going to turn twenty-one, he's never going to get married, he's never going to have a girlfriend.' And I think if they see all this now, they might think."

Rick Redmond of Acadia Hospital says it's important to communicate with teens about suicide. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the state crisis hotline at 1-888-568-1112. For more information about warning signs and prevention, go to the Youth Suicide Prevention websites for Acadia hospital and the Department of Health and Human Services.