Mom Captures Moment Between Two Sons—No Idea It Will Be Their Last Together

There are times that you never forget, and for Alli Skrbek, it will always be the moment when she read a message informing her that her eldest son had taken her life. Although it is unable to save it, its mission is to break the stigma around depression and to exhort others to ask for help when they need it.

As a mother of four, Skrbek from Prescott Valley, Arizona, knows when her children are sick or unhappy. During the past year, she saw many of these signs in her eldest son, Alex Fornerod, but there was no way to know how hard he had.

He was facing many internal battles, but Skrbek said Nowsweek That she “thought he was going very well”.

Four years ago, Fornerod moved to Florida with his grandparents and he “started to get in trouble”. As a result, he returned with his mother for six months and she was very concerned about what she saw.

“He would get angry, accuse us of doing things (like talking about him, taking his wallet or his keys), and he has become very paranoid,” said Skrbek.

Skrbek and her husband supposed that her behavior was caused by alcohol and tried to resolve it. Nevertheless, Fornerrod convinced them that he was fine and that he would straighten up.

“Something changed to Alex, and he was not the same. He was still angry, agitated or drunk. We thought it was alcohol-we didn’t know that he was fighting with depression,” she said.

Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 22.5 million adults in the United States, represents more than 8% of the adult population, according to statistics from Mental Health America.

People with depression experience persistent sadness, lose pleasure and interest in the activities they have appreciated, become irritable, feelings of guilt or despair, and in some cases, thoughts of suicide. Mental Health American suggests that 5.2% of American adults experience suicidal thoughts.

Although it doesn’t always seem like that, depression is treatable. Most often with antidepressants, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. Early treatment is more effective and the majority of those who have received treatment have shown large improvements.

But despite available help, more than 28 million adults with mental illness have received no treatment.

Seeing his son go through whom was so difficult for Skrbek, who said it was “difficult to watch”. She wanted to help, but he was convinced that he had no problem.

The last holidays together

Shortly after, he moved without talking to anyone and obtained a new job. He finally got back on the right track, or Skrbek thought. He told her that he didn’t drink much and when she went to visit, he seemed good.

But after moving forward with his aunt and three cousins ​​in November 2024, Fornerod’s behavior invaded. He started taking cocaine and nitrous oxide, although his mother had no idea.

When Christmas 2024 changed, he returned home for the holidays. It was always the favorite time of the family, and it was wonderful to have everyone together.

“During this visit, he barely drank and we laughed like the old days. He was very loving – he was my son. He always had such a beautiful heart and a great love for his brothers and his mother. It was so nice to have happy Alex,” Skrbek continued.

She captured a wonderful moment of her eldest son jokingly with her young brothers. They were just playing, but that meant that the world for Skrbek will see his son happy.

She could never have imagined that it would be one of the last times her boys would be together.

“On Thursday before he took his life, he said he was going to go back to his friend. He had problems with his cousins. They were celebrating too much, and he had to move away,” she said.

On March 30, Skrbek received a text from his eldest son who said: “I am so grateful that I love you.”

It was the last time that she would have heard of him because on March 31, he got into the age of 22. His body was discovered the next day.

Looking at her phone on April 1, Skrbek was “total shock” when she read a message that said her son had committed suicide.

How could it be real? She thought he was going so well.

The aftermath of his son’s death

When Skrbek had access to his late son on the phone, she realized that he lived in a completely different world from what he described. He was taking drugs, drank a lot and behaved recklessly with his weapon.

Skrbek said Nowsweek: “Alex was clearly shouted for help. He wrote notes on his phone by talking about his life and how angry he was. He kept this very hidden side, so we did not know that the last four months of his life were so dark.”

While crying the life of his son, Skrbek is determined to raise awareness by creating a platform on Tiktok (@alli_mom). She publishes on her experience, what people can do if they need help and how her family faces.

On May 18, she shared the video of her sons playing together last year, showing how he seemed perfectly well while fighting depression. The video has become viral with more than 12.3 million views and 943,800 likes on Tiktok at the time of writing this document.

Not only does this video warm Skrbek’s heart, but it also breaks it.

Skrbek fights anxiety and has the impression that part of it is missing. Knowing that she can never kiss or speak to her son is a loss like no other. His youngest sons are 13, 8 and 20 months old, and they all treat sorrow differently. Angling, rupture, closure, she must help them cross all of this.

“We don’t have enough conscience surrounding depression and suicide,” she said. “My son was not happy when he took his life – he was angry. Many think that suicide is a choice, but this is not the case. My son wanted the pain to stop.

“If I knew that it would be the last time I hugged my arms, or I knew he was fighting with depression, there is so much that I would come back and change. I would like to portray that life is fragile. If someone has trouble, please seek help.”

If you or someone you know are considering suicide, please contact 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by composing 988, text “988” with the line of crisis text at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.