Julius Polgar Obituary, Death – Julius Polgar, 15, shown here covering his tears, committed suicide late on November 11th. His classmates and adults admired him for his maturity, and everyone thought he was strange and goofy. And we had no idea how much he was in pain. He intended to go clothes shopping and decorate his room just hours before committing suicide.
This is not your typical obituary: it’s a message to all other teenagers who are struggling with depression, alienation, a sense of not belonging, and a sense of being alone. You are not by yourself. And I’m speaking to those who read that and thought to themselves, “He doesn’t know who I am; I’m really alone.” Only by reaching out will you be able to find assistance. Look for the assisters. Try again if the first person you try this with isn’t the right person for you. Any errors in determining who to contact or when to contact them can be corrected. Suicide is a fatal error.
Consider the students to your right and left in class. One of you, if not all three, is most likely in pain. The fatal epidemic is the silence about depression, not the depression itself. I, his father, struggled with severe depression as a teenager and attempted suicide, and IT DOES GET BETTER. I understand how it feels like the darkness and isolation will never end, but it will, and much sooner if you speak up. The teacher who spoke to me and heard my broken and depressed voice had no idea he had saved my life until I told him 20 years later. He simply struck up a conversation with me and listened to what I had to say. He did so because I dared to reach out to him.
Do it immediately. Don’t wait until the darkness prevents you from moving. Make it even darker if it’s truly that dark. Julius’ agony and suicide will not have been in vain if even one of you reading this makes a different choice. You can make a donation to the Arthur Morgan School, Parkway Playhouse, or Mountain Heritage Theater Department.
