Dakota Suire

Dakota Suire standing for his picture.

I am Dakota Suire, kind, broken, but strong. I learned what death was at the age of six.

My uncle Geoffrey Ferich and I were really close. I grew up with my uncle Geoff, he was always so happy to be with me and my brother River and playing games with him until his death broke me. I was very close to him and after he died I became quiet, and friends noticed. My mom and dad got me into therapy, but before therapy, art was keeping me stable. It took years for me to get over my uncle’s death. I even had to get an ESA (emotional support animal). My cat, who’s name is Maui, kept me smiling the entire time that I’ve been coping. 

I still do art when I get sad or just want to draw, but I’m still here and ready to show kids who have lost others that they’re not alone. 

When I was 14, my dad, Charlie Suire, passed away, you can look him up.  My life fell apart, and I felt broken, destroyed. It wasn’t the death that killed me, but how it just happened, cops had to tell me. Part of me knew he was gone. I was sad, then angry, but I want others to see I got the risk-taker award at Scarlett Middle School for attending, for pushing through the pain of losing my dad. I somehow graduated from middle school. That was when I realized that I had to try to heal myself and be there for my family, but my emotions were festering inside me. Still I had to try to challenge myself. This is what I needed. 

I never want to be one holding my friends back from reaching higher. I want to be remembered as the kid who never gave up hope. I hated that my friends had to see me so quiet and broken. My family got me back into therapy. I knew I had to do therapy to get better, but I wouldn’t be able to talk about it if I didn’t do therapy.

Also at 14, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I had been seeing my uncle as a “ghost” since I was six. I coped with it and stopped seeing him at 13. 

If you’ve ever lost someone, you’re not alone. Keep trying and push through the days, even when it is hard. In my time I’ve learned you need to talk. The more you bottle up emotions, the worse the mental breakdown. Find people you can talk to and don’t let it fester. The song that helps me cope is “Saltwater” by Damian McGinty. It  helps me heal from and deal with the loss of my uncle and now helps me deal with my father’s death. Let my story help you see you’re not alone. I am Dakota Suire; broken but kind.

You can receive support at the WISD workshops, and past recordings can be accessed here.