TYLER, Texas — This week is a time of reflection for an East Texas family.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, would’ve been Evie Grace Domingos' 16th birthday, but sadly she lost her life to suicide four years earlier.
Although the Domingos family is still feeling the loss of Evie, they’ve found a way to keep her spirit alive. Her parents started the nonprofit Tiny Evie Rocks after losing their daughter to suicide at the age of 12 in 2019.
Evie's father, Michael, wanted to share their story in hopes it leads someone else to find help.
"She was an old soul at heart -- wise beyond her years," said Michael. "But she did struggle with severe anxiety."
Michael says he noticed his daughter was starting to struggle with depression and other mental health problems.
"She just really struggled to find herself and she was struggling with school," said Michael. "There was some bullying and so I think it just all seemed too big for her."
In July 2022, the Federal Communications Commission established the phone number 988 as the nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
In December 2022, the lifeline reported they received 14,108 calls from people in Texas.
"It's super important that we're able to provide real tangible resources for young people when they need that support," said Brandon Davidson, the executive director for Next Step Community Solutions.
He says their nonprofit has been helping East Texans since 1984. They've expended their suicide prevention program to 26 school campuses across East Texas.
"We're serving over 20,000 students, that's almost one out of every three kids in East Texas," said Davidson. "It's so important that when a student needs help that they know how to access that help."
Since Evie Domingos' death the Domingos family created a tiny library right outside of their home. Her mother, Jessica, also started painting rocks with inspiring messages and leave them around the area.
"We started leaving them on the trails around where we lived and after a couple of weeks, I started painting with her too," said Michael. "As a parent, just having those conversations with your children, if you start to see them struggling, or if you're seeing some of the behaviors, just asking those questions and finding the help."
If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.