Grieving B.C. family wants answers after losing teenage daughter to suicide

Editor’s note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health there are a number of ways to get help, including by calling or texting Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8. A list of local crisis centres is also available here.

Felicity Donovan was a gentle, kind person who loved her younger sister. Following in her mother Laura’s footsteps, the 16-year-old was learning how to tattoo – work that now has a different meaning to her mother.

“Tattooing memorials is quite a healing process,” Laura Donovan said. “But I never dreamed I’d see the day where I was tattooing memorials of my own daughter on people. That’s been a difficult part of the journey.”

Felicity died by suicide Dec. 19. Her father, David, said she was struggling with depression.

“On the day she passed, she posted she wished more people liked her,” he said.

COUNSELING SESSION CANCELLED

The Donovans said they did everything they could think of to help Felicity, including private counseling and communicating with her regularly about how she was feeling.

In October, Felicity began a program called START through Fraser Health. START, which stands for Short Term Assessment Response Treatment, provides in-community mental health and/or substance use assessments and intervention services for children and teenagers aged six to 18 who are experiencing a crisis.

Through this program, Felicity met with a counselor once a week, according to her parents. Two days before she died, her weekly appointment was canceled, they said, due to her counsellor being sick.

“In those two days later, Felicity never made it to her next appointment,” Laura said.

In a statement to CTV News, Fraser Health said in the event a scheduled appointment is missed or cancelled by the clinician or client for any reason, the team will connect with the client and their family. The statement adds that during that conversation, the team will emphasize that if the client requires immediate medical attention or if there is a significant threat of serious physical harm to themselves or others, they should call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest emergency department.

The Donovans said they never received a call.

'VOID AT SCHOOL'

Felicity’s parents said they’re sharing their daughter’s story in the hopes it will save lives.

“We felt like we were taking care of things at home, we were taking care of things with outside counseling, but there was just this void at school,” David said.

The Donovans said a teacher at Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey warned them their daughter was struggling.

“It was a teacher that had suicide prevention training that was able to identify Felicity’s issues, and that was really a catalyst in bringing many things to our attention,” Laura said.

From there, a school counsellor was assigned. Following a phone call from the school that Felicity was having suicidal ideations, the parents said they did not hear from Felicity's counsellor after that.

“The school didn't follow up with her in counseling sessions,” David said. “They didn’t follow up with her outside counselor. There just was no support.”

CTV News asked for an interview with the Surrey School District, but was told a spokesperson was not available.

In a statement, the district said, “we want to express how deeply challenging this situation has been for everyone involved, particularly Felicity’s family, as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”

When asked if Elgin Park Secondary followed the district’s suicide prevention protocol, the district said it “cannot speak to this specific situation due to student privacy considerations, however, in such circumstances, our school counsellors follow district-wide suicide prevention protocols closely and work to ensure that we work in partnership with outside agencies.”

Asked about the Donovans claim that there was no follow-up care from school counsellors, the district again pointed to privacy laws that prohibit them from sharing information about Felicity’s situation or care.

'STIGMATIZING LANGUAGE'

The Donovans told CTV News it’s been five months since their daughter’s death and they still feel they have many unanswered questions from Fraser Health and the school district.

Laura said she’d like to see more resources in the education system to address suicide prevention.

“I think there’s a need for students to be equipped to handle these things, just as they’re equipped to handle a fire drill and know what to do,” she added.

The first step in making any changes is addressing the stigma surrounding suicide, she said.

“Why is it so difficult to talk about it?" she said. "Well, because of stigmatizing language.”

Her husband David said he’s inspired by his wife’s willingness to be Felicity’s voice.

That voice – one her family hopes will still be heard – through important changes they say are needed in the school system.