Mike and Beverley Poitras share the same last name. They both come from Peepeekisis First Nation, but are not blood relatives.
They also share a tragic past with thousands of other aboriginal Canadians.
"It's been all around me,” Beverley said. “My brother-in-law completed suicide, my nephew completed suicide."
More than two years have passed since Mike's children took their own lives. Michael Jr. was 20 years old and less than a year later, 14-year-old Sunsheera passed away.
“My baby was on the floor and she was gone,” Mike said.
A rash of suicide attempts on the Attawapiskat First Nation has Canadians reeling and left the reserve in a state of emergency.
Beverley, who is a crisis worker with File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, knows the issues well.
"You work with everything when you're on the crisis team,” she said. “You work with homicides; you work with suicides; you work with sexual assaults -- whatever is going on the community, whatever trauma is going on."
Her mission is to educate and help those who need it, but it's not easy.
"We need some of the resources in our community,” Beverley said. “We need the training in our community."
Saskatchewan has the highest number of suicides of any province in Canada. Across the country, the suicide rate among aboriginal Canadians is three to six times the national average.
As the issue gets national attention, both Mike and Beverley agree that suicide it is a silent epidemic. They say positive reinforcement and openness can go a long way.
"You can't give up. You need hope,” Beverley said. “Everybody has to have that hope."
Based on a report by CTV Regina’s Katherine Hill
