Mom Looks to Raise Awareness After Daughter Dies by Suicide the Night Before Her 12th Birthday

GoFundMe

Hellem Villatoro is asking parents to look into their children's mental health after her daughter, Makayla Marie Villatoro, died by suicide a day before her 12th birthday.

Makayla's death on March 10 came as the popular Texas sixth-grader had been looking forward to getting a new video game system for her birthday, her mother told KTVT.

"She was always happy," Villatoro said. "It's not right… I should be celebrating her birthday, not mourning my daughter. It's the worst pain. It's the worst pain in the world, how can you even go to sleep [knowing] that she's not there?"

According to a GoFundMe set up to help pay for Makayla's funeral costs, the family suspects bullying may have played a factor in the young girl's death.

"Bullying is an event that has become all too familiar in many schools," they wrote in a description on the page, which has raised nearly $13,000 as of Monday afternoon.

"It is an experience that no one should have to live through but mental health and suicide affects every family," it continued.

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The National Bullying Prevention Center says bullied children are at higher risk of developing depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties. They can also experience lower academic achievement and become more likely to drop out of school.

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"Watch your kids closely," Villatoro warned. "Even if they say, 'Mom, it's okay.' No. Push them. Push them. Look in their phones."

KTVT said counselors were available at Pleasant Grove Middle School for students having a difficult time with the tragedy. They were being encouraged to draw or write to help process their emotions.

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Villatoro, meanwhile, is still asking questions and wondering how something like this could have happened.

"So many I will never get answered," she told KTVT. "The main question is why? why?"

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.