CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local family who lost their son to suicide is continuing to do their part to help spread awareness about the often difficult subject to talk about.
Tomorrow morning, there will be a suicide awareness walk held at the Calallen Middle School track. Families are being invited to attend the free event and join the conversation.
This event is close to the heart of Assistant Fire Chief, Randy Paige, whose son Colten took his own life at the age of 19. The walk has been named in his memory.
"Colten was one of those kids that grew up just with a heart of gold. The kid could not meet someone he couldn't get along with," said Paige.
He shared pictures of his son, Colten, a graduate of Calallen High School, "He was not one who was afraid to befriend someone who was different. At times during middle and high school he was bullied some. I think it affected him a lot more than we knew. With Colten, because of his loving heart, he didn't understand how someone could be that rude, that was totally opposite of him."
In 2015, the young man with a big smile and a promising future made the decision to take his own life at just 19 years old.
"There are warning signs, and when we looked back, there were warning signs. As I've said to everyone I talk to, you got to listen to your gut and not your heart. You think something is going on, and you ask them, they smile and say everything is fine. That is what you want to believe. If you got that gut feeling something is wrong, ask them about it. Ask if they are thinking about hurting themselves. Don't be scared to do that," urges Paige.
In the wake of tragedy, the Paige family has made it their mission to help prevent any family from suffering that same heart ache, by encouraging others to open the door to that important conversation, "When you say the word suicide, at least back when I was a child, people didn't talk about it. It was something terrible to talk about. It's going to continue to be a terrible tragedy if we don't talk about it, so that is the whole goal, is to get people to talk about it. Get kids to talk to their parents; Parents to talk to their kids. Don't shy away from it. Their mental well-being is something we need to look after."
This is why the Annual Suicide Awareness Walk in Colten's honor is held.
After being unable to host the event for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is finally returning Saturday, 9:00 a.m. at Calallen Middle School.
"You mentioned COVID. It's been a bad two years, and it does affect the mental health of our kids. In this area, we've had two school children take their own lives, and one was a seventh grader. Can you imagine? We have to do a better job," said Paige.
At the time of his death, Colten's goal was to be in law enforcement. He was taking classes at Del Mar College in hopes of one day getting a job for the FBI.
While there is no cost to walk, any money donated will go to the Colten Andrew Paige Memorial Scholarship Fund to help other students pursue their dreams.
The Paige family wants others to know that there are resources to turn to if you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or depression.
Help is available 24-hours a day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The number is 1-800-273-8255. Counselors are available 24/7.
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