GREENFIELD — A Greenfield father is speaking out after his son's death by suicide.
Carlos Hernandez's life has been completely different in the last six weeks without his son Anthony. He took his own life on Oct. 12. Hernandez says bullying played a big factor.
"It's been an up and down thing," Hernandez said. "He always told me I was the best father in the world. I try to be. Sometimes, I don't think I was because he's gone now."
The Greenfield School District is holding meetings with parents on suicide prevention. They say they will have eleven experts on hand to discuss grief and loss.
However, this loss has been devastating for Hernandez.
"Here I am, my son is gone," Hernandez said. "Thanks to the bullying that's going on in the schools. We need to do something. We need to save their lives. Bullying a long time ago, it was completely different. Now, the kids take the bullying home. 24/7."
In Wisconsin, youth suicides are on the rise. In the 10 years from 2000 to 2009, there were 467 youth deaths by suicide in Wisconsin. Since 2010, there have been 479 youth deaths by suicide and that doesn't include the tenth year of data. Hernandez is making it his life's mission to keep that number as low as possible.
"What we're trying to do is save lives," Hernandez said. "I don't want any other parent to go through what I've been through. Or any other kid to go through what my son went through."
The school district will hold another meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd.
