“Nobody at home would listen and school was a nightmare. So, I decided to end it.”
Kenna was a bright, spirited teenager whose life was upended by one moment of misplaced trust. After a private photo was shared without her consent, she became the target of relentless bullying and humiliation. “I was so ashamed,” she said.
Her mental health quickly deteriorated. She turned to substances to cope and, eventually, decided to take her own life. One night, she left her home and walked to a nearby field, convinced that no one would miss her.
Then she saw the number for the Boys Town National Hotline on her phone. In one desperate moment, Kenna made a life-changing decision—she called.
“I spoke to a lady, and she was literally like an angel,” Kenna recalled. “She told me my life was worth so much more… She saved my life.”
Kenna’s experience is far from rare. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10–14 and the third for ages 15–29. Pressure, loneliness and unspoken trauma are pushing too many teens to the brink.
That’s why the Boys Town National Hotline is here. Staffed 24/7 by trained crisis counselors, the hotline offers a safe, judgment-free space for youth to talk about whatever they’re facing—from anxiety and bullying to suicidal thoughts.
Kenna’s story didn’t end that night. Today, she speaks at schools, encouraging teens to reach out before it’s too late. “Change starts with one person,” she says. She is living proof of that.
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