According to Teusch, “the day after Sammy passed away, Sammy’s best friend was sent to a classroom by himself.” “The child was crying uncontrollably and just wanted to call his father.
“We need to talk about it, but the school didn’t want him talking to other students about it because of the stigma.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, bullying affects up to 20% of kids in the US between the ages of 12 and 18.
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that although suicide is uncommon in children under the age of ten,
it is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of ten and twenty-four, more so than any other medical condition.
Teusch is committed to transforming his trauma into something constructive and continuing Sammy’s legacy by halting the rise in youth suicide.
