Community Corner
Parents Crushed by Son's Suicide Turn Tragedy into Inspiration
Sandra and Jim Czyznikiewicz may never understand what led 21-year-old son Jim to take his own life in August 2012. But the Oak Forest residents have picked up the pieces—and hope a book inspired by their son's emotional struggles will help others.
When 21-year-old Oak Forest resident Jimmy Czyznikiewicz took his own life in August 2012, his parents Jim Sr. and Sandra couldn't make much sense of it.
He had seemed "perfectly normal" in the days prior, helping out with home renovations and preparing for time with his girlfriend. Whatever storm was brewing beneath the surface, it eluded his family and friends. He struggled with expressing his emotions from an early age, said his stepmother Sandra, and following his death she found purpose in educating young people on open communication and expression.
Czyznikiewicz reached out to friend, Chicago resident and author Lisa Tortorello. Together, they nurtured the concept of a children's book aimed at teaching young kids how to open up and share their feelings. The book does not directly address suicide, instead focusing on the emotional well-being of young people.
The book, called "Mark the Missing Moose" features a character named Jimmy who loses his favorite stuffed animal. Jimmy is devastated when, just days after he brought the moose to show and tell, a neighbor's dog destroys the toy. Jimmy experiences extreme grief, anger and sadness, but doesn't want to take his mom's advice on how to cope. Ultimately, the character is comforted by a classmate's words on how he dealt with the death of his hamster, which put Jimmy at ease about expressing himself to his mother.
In his life, Jimmy was known for his patience and understanding, often offering an open ear and a kind word for friends in crisis. But drawing Jimmy out of his shell, into a dialogue about his own conflicts or troubles had always been a challenge, Czyznikiewicz said in an earlier Patch article.
"We need to teach kids at an early age, that it's OK to express hurt or bad feelings," she said. "We need to teach them how to express themselves when they're disappointed or experience loss."
Sandra's hope is that the book can teach children how to cope with loss and the range of emotions that might accompany it.
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"This is my new mission," she said. "We have to turn this into something positive."
One young reader offered a glowing review of the book.
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Another reviewer gave similar feedback.
"It's very sad, but entertaining," the reader wrote. "It teaches you a lesson that it's a good idea to talk to someone if you're sad."
The book echoes Sandra's plight to help people in emotionally fragile states.
"I'm sure we will never know why Jimmy made his choice—what made him think of this permanent solution to a temporary problem," she said. "If we can save just one family from having to go through this, it will feel like this wasn't for nothing."
Mark the Missing Moose is available for purchase:
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