Tawnia Woodhouse Owens begins her TedX talk by asking the audience to raise their hands if they've ever been affected by suicide. Droves of hands raise. You, reading this, have probably been affected or know someone who has. Suicide happens every single day, even right here in the Treasure Valey. Unfortunately, many people (including teenagers), are unwilling to talk about the issues that surround their suicidal thoughts because there's a stigma around mental health and suicide.

One Idaho teenager was fortunate to get a second chance, despite making the decision to end his own life. Talon Owens, a 15-year-old sophomore at Borah High School, had written his suicide note and made his way to a downtown Boise parking garage "for one thing and one thing only," to end his life.

According to the Idaho Statesman, while looking down from the eighth story of this garage, he noticed police activity down below, then realized a woman was there -on the third floor- with the same intention, to end her young life. She jumped. Talon witnessed her body hit the ground, and he froze. "I imagined me where she was, except from five stories higher.”

That's the day Talon began to find his purpose. His mother and sisters encouraged him to be admitted to Intermountain Hospital, an in-patient treatment center. After spending some time at the facility, Talon decided to be an advocate for youth suicide prevention. 

His mother, Tawnia, recently shared about her and her son's journey with suicide and what it was like to get to 'the other side'.

*If you or anyone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis, you can contact the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

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