Sometimes in life, as hard as it may be to believe, some good will come from a horrific tragedy.   Mary Elise Millus was a beautiful, brilliant student and artist.  She was a daughter much beloved by her parents, Nancy and Paul Millus, and her older brother William.  Her very promising life ended when the pain became too great and she took her own life at the age of 19 while a Sophomore at the Rhode Island School of Design – one week before she was to return home for Christmas break.  She remains 19 forever in our minds and hearts and will be missed until we meet again.

Until then, it has become clear to the family she left behind on that fateful December day that our strengths and our will should be focused on another parent never having to receive “that call.”  Working with other Foundations that seek to help others after similar tragedies and those that hope to alleviate the suffering our children endure more and more, the Mary Elise Millus Foundation will foster education and awareness of the problems that children and adolescents face before we even have a need for suicide prevention.   For far too long our children have become collateral damage and acceptable losses in our society when it comes to mental illness and we say no more.   It is time to band together, parents and children alike, to address the stigma associated with mental illness, to bring hope to the hopeless,  to educate all as to the warning signs, to foster early intervention and to attack this disease as we would attack childhood cancer or childhood diabetes.   All are welcome in this fight and a fight it is.

Sometimes in life, as hard as it may be to believe, some good will come from a horrific tragedy.   Mary Elise Millus was a beautiful, brilliant student and artist.  She was a daughter much beloved by her parents, Nancy and Paul Millus, and her older brother William.  Her very promising life ended when the pain became too great and she took her own life at the age of 19 while a Sophomore at the Rhode Island School of Design – one week before she was to return home for Christmas break.  She remains 19 forever in our minds and hearts and will be missed until we meet again.

Until then, it has become clear to the family she left behind on that fateful December day that our strengths and our will should be focused on another parent never having to receive “that call.”  Working with other Foundations that seek to help others after similar tragedies and those that hope to alleviate the suffering our children endure more and more, the Mary Elise Millus Foundation will foster education and awareness of the problems that children and adolescents face before we even have a need for suicide prevention.   For far too long our children have become collateral damage and acceptable losses in our society when it comes to mental illness and we say no more.   It is time to band together, parents and children alike, to address the stigma associated with mental illness, to bring hope to the hopeless,  to educate all as to the warning signs, to foster early intervention and to attack this disease as we would attack childhood cancer or childhood diabetes.   All are welcome in this fight and a fight it is.

Sometimes in life, as hard as it may be to believe, some good will come from a horrific tragedy.   Mary Elise Millus was a beautiful, brilliant student and artist.  She was a daughter much beloved by her parents, Nancy and Paul Millus, and her older brother William.  Her very promising life ended when the pain became too great and she took her own life at the age of 19 while a Sophomore at the Rhode Island School of Design – one week before she was to return home for Christmas break.  She remains 19 forever in our minds and hearts and will be missed until we meet again.

Until then, it has become clear to the family she left behind on that fateful December day that our strengths and our will should be focused on another parent never having to receive “that call.”  Working with other Foundations that seek to help others after similar tragedies and those that hope to alleviate the suffering our children endure more and more, the Mary Elise Millus Foundation will foster education and awareness of the problems that children and adolescents face before we even have a need for suicide prevention.   For far too long our children have become collateral damage and acceptable losses in our society when it comes to mental illness and we say no more.   It is time to band together, parents and children alike, to address the stigma associated with mental illness, to bring hope to the hopeless,  to educate all as to the warning signs, to foster early intervention and to attack this disease as we would attack childhood cancer or childhood diabetes.   All are welcome in this fight and a fight it is.