'I can help': After a 12-year-old dies by suicide, Chicago mother starts 'Gabriel's Light' to help others

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Monday is World Mental Health Day and one local mom is hoping to shine a light on the mental health crisis facing our youth.

Her son died by suicide at just 12 years old.

Now she wants others to know the signs to look for when a child is struggling. As CBS 2's Asal Rezai reports, some local teens are helping her in her mission.

Gabriel would light up any room he walked into. That's what his mom Carol Deely said, on a day dedicated to shining a light on mental health.

"He said he was going to go upstairs to do his homework. And that was the last time that we saw him alive," remembered Deely.

After Gabriel's passing four years ago, Deely said she learned he was struggling from his peers at school. Had she known, she said she would have intervened.

"Had drawn pictures in his notebook of different ways to take your life and had given a presentation at school about a lonely, sad boy," Deely said.

Deely has poured her pain and passion into finding Gabriel's Light, an organization focused on education and prevention surrounding youth suicide and mental health. It's a topic she said isn't talked about enough.

That's where Campbell Meszaros comes in. A junior at Walter Payton College Prep. She's a youth ambassador for Gabriel's Light. She went to school with Gabriel and since his death, she's been working to bring attention to mental health.

"I've been able to help people, like get help. Like I've told teachers before, and helped like kids who couldn't go to someone other than their peers," Meszaros said.

She used social media to bring more attention to mental health along with making sure there's room for an open dialogue in her school.

"I can help more than like the average kid and I feel like that's really valuable to like, be there for your classmates," Meszaros said, adding they just launched a new program that's part of a national concept to treat mental health in the same way we treat first aid.

It's a six-week certification class that teaches people how to care for someone in a crisis.

"Before someone can get help, you can be take a big role in being listener asking the right questions and getting them help."

Gabriel's Light offers resources on how to deal with different mental health situations. Click here for more information and how you can help.

In:
• Mental Health