WATERFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — The parents of a Waterford Mott High School teenager are on a mission to draw more attention to suicide and mental health after their son took his own life.
Joe Miller said his son Nikolai, 15, had an contagious personality that would light up a room.
Nikolai's outlook on life shifted after he moved from middle school to high school, according to his father.
"He expressed to me and to Kris [Nikolai's mother] that he felt broken," Miller said.
Miller said they exhausted ever resource to get Nikolai help, but despite their best efforts in June, Nikolai took his own life in their Oakland County home.
"I don't want anyone to every go through it again," his father said. "It's far and away the worst thing that could ever happen."
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in Michigan.
Miller and his wife are pushing lawmakers in Lansing to pass a bipartisan House bill 5482 dubbed "Save Our Students".
It would require Michigan schools to put suicide prevention and mental health hotlines on the back of student id cards.
"If they are not currently issuing an ID, its not going to require them," Miller said. "But, if they are it's going to put that requirement out there."
The point is to have resources at their fingertips when times get tough, Miller explained.
Westland Mott High School put a sticker with resources on the back of ID cards. A school board member said a list of numbers will be printed on student IDs next school year.
To read more about Nikolai's story: http://onadragonflyswings.com/
