Ante Sutalo. Photo / Supplied
Content warning: This article deals with suicide and bullying
The community is rallying behind a heartbroken Australian mum after her "happy and funny" teenage son took his own life after he was bullied at school.
Ante Sutalo was just 13 when he committed suicide last Tuesday and was found at his home in Perth's northern suburbs.
Ante's mum, Lora Sutalo, told news.com.au she had noticed her son was behaving out of character when he came home from school last Monday.
Sutalo said she noticed something wasn't right when her sports-loving son begged her to stay home from a school sports carnival the following day.
"Previously when he'd broken his collarbone or torn his ligament in his finger he would constantly ask, 'Can I just go to rugby please?'," she said.
"You couldn't stop him. I thought it was weird but I didn't question it and the weather wasn't that great so I just let him stay home.
"I noticed he was flat and not himself all day. He said, 'Just know it's going to be all right mum', and he hugged me."
A short time later, Sutalo found her son in the bathroom. He was rushed to hospital and put on life support, but sadly, he passed away the following day.
She later discovered Ante had been bullied at school the day before his death and believes this may have contributed to his actions.
"I didn't think he was getting bullied because he was so full of life and seemed to be so confident and positive and just had so many friends," she said.
"I just never would've thought he would do something like this.
"He was impulsive and I think everyone deals with things differently. What was said or done really did trigger it because he was just so full of life, a funny kid, with a cheeky smile and he had so many friends."
Lora Sutalo's cousin, Adriana Alessandra, has since organised a GoFundMe fundraiser, describing Ante's loss as "devastating" for his family. More than A$27,000 has been raised in just one day.
"Those who knew Ante would remember him as a happy, funny, mischievous and caring boy; with a love for rugby, fishing and spending time with family and friends," she wrote.
"He was an incredible older brother, son and friend whose presence would light up the room no matter the age group."
Perth blogger Constance Hall shared the heartbreaking story to her Facebook page on Friday and revealed she was friends with the Sutalo family.
Hall said she let out a "loud gasp" after learning of the news on social media last Tuesday, just two days after she opened up to her 1.3 million followers about her own daughter's bullying struggle.
"On Thursday night, Lora wrote to me and told me that her baby boy was bullied one minute and the next he was gone," Hall wrote.
"I felt [for] this devoted and broken Mum, who is still considerate and kind when she speaks.
"I felt her while I will never know what she is feeling. I felt a mum's love for her child; you can hear her giggling in the background of her videos of him.
"We don't know everything yet, but we know that Ante was so happy, so chatty, so social, and just like so many boys including my own, he shows none of the signs we look out for, but he was impulsive," Hall wrote.
"See him and know that we are not being dramatic nor are we ever overreacting when it comes to our babies."
The social media star said she was told she was overreacting when she revealed she had taken her own daughter out of school and had responded to her bullies in an Instagram exchange.
"I was just having one of those weeks, all the normal stresses as well as a bullying blog I wrote going viral," Hall said.
"Followed by the trolling, which led to me second-guessing my decision to respond to my daughter's situation because nothing changes and so nothing changes."
Alessandra pleaded with the community to put an end to bullying.
"We need to end bullying because it is hurting our children, it alienates, and it kills. It is a serious problem today in our schools and it is not fair to raise children in a culture where it is tolerated," she said.
"Please continue to talk about mental health and raise awareness so we can work together to end the stigma."
Hall urged her followers to support the Sutalo family through their grief by donating to the fundraiser.
"It's common to think that finances are the last thing on a grieving mother's mind and of course that's true, it can't bring people back," she wrote on Sunday.
"But what it can do is give them the funeral they want for their child without any pressure of going over budget, it can give you as much time off as you feel is right for you and your family, home help for the days that you just can't, even a trip down the track to just get away for a moment and so much more.
"All done in your time instead of the time that finances will allow for."
• 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• https://www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline
• YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633
• NEED TO TALK? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7)
• KIDSLINE: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757 or TEXT 4202
• NATIONAL ANXIETY 24 HR HELPLINE: 0800 269 4389