Everyday Heroes

Changing Two Lives

A mentor can change a teenager's life with just a few simple words…just ask Christon, a 17-year-old who once thought life wasn't worth living.

At a very young age, Christon began dealing with adult issues. While her mother struggled with addiction and her father was locked away in prison, Christon took care of herself and her younger brother. "My little brother was my world," she says.

Christon's world was shattered when her brother was removed from their home and placed in foster care. "I was devastated by him being taken away," she says. "It was pain that I've never felt before."

In high school, Christon says she lost hope for the future, and her thoughts turned to suicide. On the day that Christon decided to take her own life, she wrote a suicide note in her child development class, which was taught by Brenda Ferguson. After class, Brenda found the note and knew she had to act fast.

Brenda asked Christon to come to her classroom after school and told Christon something that she'd never heard before. "[She said,] 'I care,'" Christon says. "Once she said those two words, it was just like I could feel again."