Parents: Bullying drove teen to kill self
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ALBANY, Ore. - Kaitlyn Boris was a 15-year-old who could light up the room with her smile.
"She was full of life, and always joking," said Dennis Boris, Kaitlyn's father.
But nothing could prepare Kaitlyn's family for what she would do on one dreaded Saturday afternoon.
"She was at home with her sister, and dad came home and found her," said Patricia Nesbitt, Kaitlyn's grandmother.
The 15-year-old had loaded a .45 caliber gun and taken her own life within a matter of seconds.
"None of us could believe what happened," Nesbitt said.
Within the last week, Kaitlyn's family found notes she had written about "kids tripping her down stairs" and "footballs getting thrown at her face."
After reading these notes, her family said it all became clear that their daughter was a victim of bullying.
"We're finding notes saying how she despised herself," said Dennis Boris, Kaitlyn's father.
"When she looked in the mirror, she just saw nothing but ugliness, and she was so beautiful," he said.
"There was nothing wrong with her."
Kaitlyn's family said she would draw to cope with the pain.
"In the last picture we have from her, those are tears coming down her face," Nesbitt said.
Kaitlyn's family is hoping to raise awareness about bullying in the community to help keep a tragedy like this from happening to someone else.
"Parents need to ask those tough questions, push it out of your kids and don't just let it go," said Kelly Boris, Kaitlyn's mother.
"Just always give your kid a hug, because you never know."
For information on how to help the family with funeral costs, go to their website at http://kaitlynboris.com.
I am so sorry for your loss. Â
I, too, have a teen son that is bullied at school. Â I worry about him all the time. Â I just wish he would get enough guts to punch some of the kids when they bug him. Â I can deal with him being suspended.
I do hope the kids that bullied this girl learn from this and change their attitude towards others.
it is very sad that a young person felt so low as to take their own life, Unfortunately they chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is our job as parents to build our children up, and teach them that yes, words can hurt as some actions, but talk to your parents, your friends, your counsler, ANYONE!
 In todays society bullying is not tolorated, however there is such a grey line of what is considered to be bullying. Adults even make comments about kids or other adults, not thinking of it as "bullying" but as freedom as speech. I have a daughter who is a young adult, she has been picked on, ridiculed, made fun of for whatever reason, However she is very independent, very confident, and trys to find a positive side to every negative... I love her for that.
My heart goes out to the Boris family, because although we live in the community with her we did not know her. she was A young beautiful soul that just got lost...
High school kills, ban high school
She was a beautiful girl. I am very sorry that her family and friends will no longer have her around. I agree with @Iam1woody that those notes and pictures should be copied and somehow distributed to the students and teachers of the school. The family might even be able to make the start of a book and team up with other parents...
Its sad this person took their life. However how were we so easily able to survive bullying when we were kids. It Might be that our parents raised us to be self sufficient and not to take it personally. Life gets much rougher as you get older and you have to be prepared to rumble through it and not break down.
 @Ritual99 I read a research paper on teenage suicide a while back that suggested overall rates of suicide among young people really haven't changed that much over the past hundred years.  Rates of all suicides seem connected to how well the economy is doing, but you really can't say that more teens are committing suicide now than they used to.Part of the reason I believe we perceive there as being an increase in teenage suicides is that we here more about it now.  This story takes place in Albany.  Thirty to fifty years ago you would likely never hear about this down here in Eugene.  Even if it got reported in the local Albany paper, it likely wouldn't be picked up down here. Â
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Teenage suicides have always happened. Â I don't think its fair to say bullying is causing more suicides than it used to, or that we were somehow better equipped to cope with the effects of bullying because of our upbringing. Â
 @NewsNerd Well Said NewsNerd
Bullying is a factor in a majority of teen suicides, but it is something that can be controlled, as shown in programs in target schools, with appropriate school policies and good parental oversight (for all children, including those who are bullies and those who are bullied). Â
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This case also illustrates another problem: the easy access of guns to children. Teens are at a higher risk for depression and violent emotions, and it isn't always apparent to parents. Â One of my friends in my youth committed suicide with his family's unsecured handgun. Â His friends and family didn't know the extent of his depression, and thought that since he had had gun safety training that it was safe to have it in the home. Â Guns and kids don't mix.
 @Baldr Odinson Of course you would weigh in on this post, pushing your anti-gun agenda right over someone's tragic loss of their child. You find every opportunity to exploit, don't you?Do you know how many homes in the world have guns in them? Do you know how many kids DON'T commit suicide or murder anyone with their parent's guns? I grew up in a house full of LOADED, UNSECURED firearms. Oh my God...I'm not dead!!! If someone is going to commit suicide, they will do it regardless of whether they can find a gun. I'm not saying that we should make it convenient...or that guns shouldn't be locked up....but you seriously need to stop using every tragedy to shove your agenda down our throats. It isn't working and it just hurts the family of this child even more.
 @SwiftlyJust I, too, grew up in a home with loaded, unsecured firearms. I can remember my older brother playing with them and showing them off to friends when our parents were away. I wouldn't share your philosophy with the thousands of parents each year whose children commit suicide with the family gun, nor with the parents of the many hundreds of children who injure or kill themselves by accident (I know of over 200 so far this year that I have heard of: http://kidshootings.blogspot.com/search/label/Accident).
@Baldr Odinson
When i was in high school almost every vehicle in the school parking lot had a gun in the back window for hunting and not once in four years did anyone kill themselves with a gun in my school.
I think its being trained to respect a weapon and realize that as a kid there are far better alternatives than killing yourself.
my heartfelt condolences to the family,they should copy and laminate those notes and post them in halls around schools,mostly in the teachers lounge