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Teenager turns pain into purpose by raising suicide awareness after losing his mother

Posted at 7:11 AM, Oct 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-01 07:11:40-04

INDIANAPOLIS — 14-year-old Korbyn Dulin suffered one of the most unimaginable experiences in December 2020: losing his mother Amanda Elbert to suicide.

The pain was devastating as he tried to cope with the help of his aunt Susan Stewart. As Dulin endured the grieving process, his spirits began to lift with the idea of helping other families who go through similar challenging times in life.

His aunt helped set up a Facebook post asking people to honor his mother’s memory by donating funds to the National Suicide Prevention organization in his mother’s name.

His church, Pasadena Heights Church of God on the east side of Indianapolis, found out about the project, and his pastors asked how they and congregants could get involved. Dulin mentioned his mother’s birthday was coming up on June 28 and how great it would be for church members to donate.

“It made me feel less sad as I faced my mom’s birthday for the first time after her death," Dulin said.

The church was asked to bring their “love gift” to Korbin and his family on June 27 and they raised $603.00, but there’s more.

The church decided to pay it forward by giving the donation to another organization A Better Way Service, Inc. in Muncie. The organization provides shelter and services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide crisis intervention.

The organization’s director, Teresa Clemmons, is grateful to Dulin and Pasadena Heights Church of God.

“The donation allows A Better Way to continue providing services to anyone who may be going through a difficult time," she said. "The financial donation gives others hope to survive and live!”

Resources

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate attention, call. You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also connect with the Crisis Text Line 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741.