‘It’s affected everybody’: Casper mom navigates devastating loss by advocating suicide awareness

CASPER, Wyo. – Memories of Ava Thorson were strong among a group of people gathering in Conwell Park on Tuesday night.

Her mother, Chloe Thorson, smiled broadly while simultaneously holding back tears as she talked about her daughter.

“She was amazing,” said Chloe. “She had a beautiful voice, loved volleyball, and was a really good big sister.”

Ava was 13, and a Centennial Middle School student when she died by suicide on Oct. 15, 2023. Her mother, three siblings and numerous friends and family members are still trying to make sense of a world without Ava.

“Losing anybody to suicide is terribly heartbreaking, and you just don’t have answers” said Chloe. “It’s so out of order [especially] when it’s a child.”

Chloe is a nurse on the neurological unit at Banner Wyoming Medical Center. On Tuesday, her colleagues asked if she’d like to hold a vigil in the park across the street in honor of Ava, and marking World Suicide Prevention Day. Word spread of the impromptu occasion, and dozens of friends, family and citizens gathered to quietly hold LED candles and stand in silence and support. Chloe was flanked closely by two of her colleagues behind a table with a photo of Ava, smiling shyly into the camera.

Chloe has three kids to support, and life can’t stop even after the most unimaginable loss.

“I kind of pour myself into my kids and my work,” she said. “I want to be an advocate, especially for kids in the community. More than anything, you matter, and that’s the message that I want to get across for my kids and for everyone in this community.”

“It’s affected everybody,” she said.

Wyoming’s suicide rate has continuously ranked among the highest per capita for years, and is double the national average, according to the CDC. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, suicide is the 7th leading cause of death in Wyoming, and the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 44.

Chloe has since started work with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force, and in particular the “Pick-up Man” initiative, which uses rodeo symbolism to help break through the quiet cowboy stigma of depression and suicide.

“Bull riding and bronc riding always have pick-up men, the guy who comes and saves you when you really need him,” she said. “I think if more people adopted that kind of ‘cowboy up’ mentality, we’d be a lot better off as a community.”

The advocacy work helps keep Chloe focused as the anniversary of Ava’s passing draws near. Her birthday was on Jan. 28. Last year they were in Washington state for a National Singing Choir event that Ava would’ve participated in, along with her younger sister, Keely. They lit candles and had cake.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do this year,” she said.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of harming themselves, please call 911. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidalthoughts, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “WYO” to 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.