A youth rugby team in Australia has been shattered after two young boys committed suicide just days apart from each other.
Treyvon Bradshaw, age 13, and Kaiyah Kennedy, age 12, were both players linked to the Coomera Cutters Rugby League Club, and they both took their own lives within days of each other, per News.com.au.
Treyvon died at the age of 13 on Sept. 26, while Kaiyah died at 12 years old on Friday, October 2.
Both boys were from the north Gold Coast area and had strong connections to Coomera Cutters.
Now, as the Gold Coast community mourns the unimaginable loss of the two boys, the club has vowed to use its standing to support others who may be in need.
Joe Smith, president of the Coomera Cutters, said the club will seek to raise mental health awareness in the community.
“It has really hurt our club and all their teammates; they were two of our own, and their families were part of our community,” Smith said. “I have young kids myself, so it has really got me thinking about what more can be done to raise awareness of mental health and support the local community.”
The club will work with the Queensland Rugby League’s Support Squad to raise awareness in the community and will organize an event to give players better access to mental health support.
“At the end of the day, community sport is about community first,” Smith said. “While some children may go on to the NRL, most of the boys just want to be a part of something, see their mates and play sport. Sometimes those two hours a week of training can be a break for them and their chance to let loose, play a bit of footy and be with their mates.”
“One life lost in this way is too many, let alone two, so we’re trying to see if there’s anything we can do as a club to help get things out there,” he added.
A fundraiser has already raised more than $35,000 in the boys’ honor.
“We do not have all the answers, but as a community we want to create a space where people can come, feel supporting and talk to somebody,” Smith said. “The families are pretty distraught, and as a community we want to do anything we can to help support them. We also want to see more education about mental health and encourage people to speak up if they are struggling – it is never weak to speak.”