Be Kind for Autumn: Family Speaks Out After 10-Year-Old’s Suicide
In the quiet moments after losing her daughter, Summer Bushman finds herself drawn to the room where 10-year-old Autumn took her final breath. She sits in her chair, touches her clothes, and speaks softly to the walls: “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
On the morning of March 21, Summer knocked on Autumn’s bedroom door and got no answer. Moments later, she broke in and found her daughter unresponsive. Autumn had died by suicide. She was 10 years old.
Her parents, Summer and Mark Bushman say Autumn had confided in them that she was being bullied. Now, in the wake of her death, their grief has turned into action. Their Virginia community has rallied, wearing “Be Kind for Autumn” shirts, and organizing anti-bullying events, candlelight vigils, and forums to bring schools and parents together.
Autumn, they say, was full of empathy. A cheerleader, dancer, and jokester, she was known for defending classmates and spreading kindness. “She was the very definition of an empath,” her father said.
At her funeral, Mark shared her heart: “You might have something that society deems ugly or weird but in her eyes — and God’s eyes — that’s beautiful.”
This tragedy is part of a disturbing rise in suicides among children ages 8 to 12. While bullying is a known risk factor, experts say it’s often a complex mix of influences, including social media exposure and unfiltered access to technology. Autumn didn’t have social media, but she had a phone. Just two months before her death, she watched a video about a teen suicide and asked her dad why someone would do that.
He answered her. He told her to talk to someone if she ever felt that way. He never imagined he was answering a question she might apply to herself. Looking back, the signs were subtle — muted clothes, quiet withdrawal. Nothing that screamed for help.
Her school had been alerted. Her parents were told it was “handled.” But Autumn, afraid of being labeled a “tattletale,” begged them not to push further.
Now her family is pushing for something more permanent: a culture shift, toward compassion, communication, and honoring what makes us different. As her father said through tears: “There’s only one of you.” “Celebrate uniqueness. Stop the bullying. Be kind — for Autumn.”
