Kelly Haskins still feels the sting of losing her 18-year-old son Hunter five years ago. The Merritt Island High School graduate died by suicide in September 2021, leaving his family with a grief that has never fully faded. Haskins, who founded Do It for Hunter, a suicide prevention nonprofit, said triggers like cinnamon Pop-Tarts, his truck’s driver’s seat, or a failed math test still bring her to tears. National Grief Awareness Day, observed annually on August 30, aims to open conversations about loss, but for Haskins, the pain remains raw.
The first year after Hunter’s death was a blur of numbness and holidays spent avoiding decorations, she said. Her husband, Andy, kept the porch light on for a year, a ritual born from hope that their son might return. Haskins still keeps Hunter’s flip-flops by the door, a small habit that anchors her to the past. “Every day,” she said, “little things crop up out of nowhere.” A Facebook memory, a song, or a grocery aisle can send her spiraling back to the moment she found his laptop open, the math test he’d just failed.
Do It for Hunter, created in Hunter’s honor, focuses on suicide prevention and education. The organization hosts events and workshops across Brevard County, but Haskins admits the work is never-ending. “The grief has changed,” she said, “but it’s never gone.” She now finds solace in connecting with others who have lost loved ones to suicide, though the sorrow still lingers.
National Grief Awareness Day, which Haskins now marks each year, is a reminder that grief does not follow a timeline. For her, it’s a daily battle to navigate a world that moves forward while she stays rooted in the past. “You don’t get over it,” she said. “You just learn to live with it.”