GRAFTON, Mass. — A local family is bringing awareness to suicide and depression after they lost a very important member of their family.
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School junior Alexandra Valoras killed herself less than two weeks ago in what her family says was an unexpected tragedy.
Alexandra's parents spoke to Boston 25 News about their 17-year-old daughter's life and how they're coping with the loss.
Alexandra's mother describes her daughter as a joyful, intelligent young girl who wanted to excel in everything she did.
"She always made people around her happy, all the time on her robotics team in her shop, when we went to church, when we went to the Grafton Community Barn," said Alysia Valoras, Alexandra's mother.
On March 19, however, Alysia could sense something was wrong when she woke up at 6 a.m. and Alexandra was gone.
"She's never up before me," said Alysia.
While on taking their other daughter to school, still not having heard from Alexandra, Alysia and her daughter found Alexandra's belongings in Upton on a bridge over the Mass. Pike.
"[Her sister], Emily, saw her jacket, her water bottle, two journals, a pen and her boots just all neatly stacked on the pylon on the side of the bridge," said Alysia. "I was in panic, I was already in panic but I'm trying to hold it together."
Her husband, Dean, found Alexandra's deceased body before police arrived on scene.
According to Dean, his daughter left the house at 12;58 a.m. on March 19. Through GPS tracking, he was able to find out her final steps.
The journals Alexandra left behind shed some light on the emotional descent she had hidden from her family.
The family said that, apart from Alexandra's worries concerning an upcoming test and some lack of motivation, she didn't show any clearcut signs of depression.
"I started looking in the journal and it was dark," said Alysia. "She wasn't just lacking motivation, she was already starting to think about killing herself."
"She went and did it, she was determined, she jumped - if that doesn't put a pit in your stomach I don't know what does, right?" said Dean.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016, 631 people died by suicide in Massachusetts.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 24, which is why the Valoras family is urging other young people who hear their story to seek help.
"I want you to reach out to your parents and just say 'mom, something doesn't feel right inside,'" said Alysia.
If someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please urge them to contact a suicide prevention line. There are a number of resources available to help.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.
More information can be found online at the following sites:
• Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention - http://www.masspreventssuicide.org
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center - https://www.sprc.org/states/massachusetts
A day after her sister died, Emily Valoras posted a message to her instagram account hoping to help others:
Cox Media Group
