BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Michael Marion keeps a plastic jar filled with cherished items his late teenage daughter Alexis once treasured.
The jar contains mementos from her short but vibrant life, including her first library card and concert tickets.
“These are things she actually touched and held,” Marion told Local 10 News.
A framed photo, taken just six months before Alexis Marion died by suicide in February 2020, rests near the front door of their home. It’s a constant reminder of her presence.
“It has been said you die twice — once when you physically die, and the last time when someone speaks your name,” Michael Marion said. “As long as I’m here, I will continue to speak her name and some part of her will always be alive.”
Michael Marion said his daughter was only 17 when she took her own life. She was a driven high school junior who balanced two jobs while maintaining good grades.
However, beneath her bright exterior, he said Alexis struggled with mental health challenges that vacillated between hope for the future and deep bouts of depression.
“She was kind and incredibly smart, and I want people to remember how she lived,” Michael Marion said. “But I also want to let others know they are not alone in this struggle of suicide loss.”
A life of promise shadowed by struggles
Michael Marion said Alexis was deeply affected by the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in nearby Parkland.
As a freshman at Deerfield Beach High School, Alexis’ school went into lockdown during the shooting. She later learned that one of the victims was a close friend, Peter Wang.
“He (Wang) was one of the 17 people murdered,” Michael Marion said. “That event had a profound impact on her. She became deeply involved in the marches that followed, including a 10-mile march to MSD in solidarity.”
Despite her trauma, Alexis excelled academically. She was enrolled in the prestigious International Baccalaureate program and worked as a math tutor and as a restaurant hostess.
“She wanted to go to the University of Florida and pursue a career in politics to improve access to mental health resources,” Michael Marion said.
However, he also added that Alexis’ life was a series of highs and lows.
“She began to experience suicidal ideation, and we tried to get her help,” he said. “There were times when she did well, but then she wouldn’t. It was like she kept bouncing back, but one day, she just didn’t.”
Alexis had been hospitalized under the Baker Act — a Florida law that allows individuals experiencing a mental health crisis to be temporarily detained for evaluation.
“On one or two occasions, she was Baker Acted. She got out, and she would be OK for a while, but then she’d spiral again,” Michael Marion said. “She let me know, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore,’ and as a parent, that is hard. I am not saying I understand it now, but I understand it better than in 2018 and 2019.”'
Finding purpose through grief
After Alexis’ death, the Marion’s were left grappling with their grief.
He said Mondays, especially, were difficult for him.
She died on a Monday at 8:40 a.m., and for a long time, every Monday at that time, Michael Marion would reflect on where he was at that moment.
It was during this painful time that he decided to channel his grief into helping others.
He became a volunteer with the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team, an organization dedicated to supporting families affected by suicide.
“There’s a sound that came out of my wife’s body when I told her Alexis was gone,” Michael Marion said. “I don’t ever want anyone to feel that kind of pain, but if they do, I want to be there to help hold their grief with them.”
As part of their healing process, Mary Marion began a project called Pink Rocks for Alexis.
She paints rocks with the National Suicide Prevention hotline number, 988, on the back, handing them out to people who might be struggling with depression, substance abuse or suicidal thoughts.
“Because of the suicide epidemic, my wife started putting 988 on the rocks and giving them to people having a hard time,” Michael Marion said.
The national 988 hotline is a lifeline for anyone in crisis, offering 24/7 confidential support.
“I think about warning signs as invitations to help,” said Dr. Francisco Isaza, Chief Operations Officer for 211 Broward. “What you are looking for is any small changes in someone’s behaviors, feelings or thoughts. Anytime you think there is a change in someone’s behavior, reach out to the person so that they know someone is caring and understanding, and don’t be afraid to ask, ‘Are you thinking about suicide?’”
A “broken” system and a call for change
Michael Marion says his daughter’s desire to change the mental health system was born out of her own struggles with it.
“She wanted to fix it because she knew how broken it was,” he said. “Finding help was incredibly difficult. When your child breaks an arm, you go to the emergency room and it’s fixed. But when your child is struggling with mental health, it doesn’t quite work that way.”
He remembers calling doctor after doctor, only to be told that they weren’t taking new patients, didn’t treat 17-year-olds or couldn’t see her for six weeks.
“You must be proactive,” said Michael Marion. “Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Keep calling. Keep advocating for your child.”
Despite Alexis’ death, her family continues to push for better mental health resources and suicide prevention.
“I honor her by doing this work because she would want me to,” Michael Marion said. “I’m not embarrassed by her death. I want people to understand that suicide is incredibly complicated, and I want to make sure other families don’t have to go through this alone.”
A legacy of love and advocacy
Alexis’ death, like the deaths of many others lost to suicide, underscores the urgent need for mental health awareness and resources.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates increased by approximately 36% between 2020 and 2022, with nearly 50,000 deaths by suicide in 2022 alone. It is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 14 and 25 to 34.
Michael Marion has made it his mission to talk about suicide openly, especially within communities of color.
“A lot of times, I’m the only person of color in these spaces,” he said. “In our community, we tend to keep it in, and that doesn’t help. We need to tell our stories.”
As he continues to share Alexis’ story, Michael Marion remains hopeful that her legacy will lead to greater awareness and action.
“I am forever broken by her loss, but I hope that by speaking her name and telling her story, I can help prevent another family from experiencing this pain,” he said.
He said Alexis wanted to change the system, and through this work, Michael Marion hopes to carry on her mission.
For those facing mental health challenges or coping with suicide loss, help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 support, along with 211 in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
As Michael Marion reminds us: “No one is alone, and it’s OK not to be OK.”