As thousands of families gathered to celebrate athletes and excellence watching the Superbowl, News 3 knows that mental health advocates say lives someone with a hidden mental health challenge in every home.
We believe it’s time we talk about it.
In the first of an ongoing series, News 3’s Reed Cowan leads the conversation first with the story of Avery Burton, one of Las Vegas’s finest.
Avery was an athlete who had the world by the tail, but after a major depression hit, he didn’t want this world anymore. That’s why his father, Reggie Burton, has established The Avery Burton Foundation, trying to save lives.
A star deans-list student and eventual graduate of UNLV, a personal trainer and set up for success.
“He was a parent’s gift,” says Burton.
Avery was a parent’s gift and one his parents had to give back. After graduating with honors in 2017, something inside Avery broke.
“The stress associated with running a race, finishing his degree, preparing for what’s next got to be overwhelming for him,” says Burton. “I think for Avery, that transition became really difficult.”
Avery suffered what his father disclosed as a “major depressive episode.”
He posted a suicide note on Facebook. His father rang his son’s phone. Someone at the Hoover Dam Bridge picked up. Avery was gone. He jumped to his death.
