After suicide: Moving forward, as a family
Leanna Leyes has heard the clich. ‘You’ve joined a club no parent wants to be in.’
All the same, she says it sometimes feels that way as she meets other parents who have lost a child.
Her son, Zack, killed himself last February 7th, on the Bend High School campus.
“We knew that first night that this was huge,” Leanna said recently. “We couldn’t get through this on our own power, and we prayed together, and we just gave it over to God.”
Relying on faith, the support of family and friends and the bond Leanna, Daniel (Zack’s father) and Abigail (Zack’s sister) share, the Leyes family continues to heal.
“We started a little book where we’ve written all kinds of memories of Zack and most of them are silly,” Leanna said.
It’s the little things. The things that made Zack unique. The indescribable way an individual does even mundane tasks that are remembered.
As part of National Suicide Prevention Week, the Leyes have chosen now to share their story.
“I needed to know that how Zack died wasn’t the last word on his life,” his mother said. “I needed to know that something good could come out of it.”
Abigail said, “These things are hard, and people don’t want to deal with them because they’re scary. But we have to talk about them.”
A tattoo on Abigail’s wrist bear’s Zack’s initials. Another on Leanna’s leg has his signature, along with the names of the rest of the family, wrapped in an infinity symbol.
“We’re going to make sure that something positive comes out of it. That’s very important to us,” Leanna said.
The Leyes have started a scholarship in Zack’s memory for any Bend High student looking to pursue a technical program at COCC. No essays — Zack hated writing.
There are at least two local suicide bereavement groups on the High Desert. One meets the second Monday of the month, 7 – 8:30 PM at partners in Care in Bend. It is staffed by trained facilitators. For more information, you can call 541-325-3339 or alisorenson.counselor@gmail.com.
The other meets on the 4th Thursday of the month from 7–9 PM at Day Spring Four Square Church in Terrebonne. Herb Baker, a trained facilitator, manages that group, 503-708-3047 or herbandjudy@yahoo.com.
