ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Jennifer Mitchell was 4,800 miles away when she heard the news.
Her 16-year-old son, Ian Ezquerra, had taken his own life.
Mitchell never made it off the plane in Alaska. The flight crew made arrangements for her to come home.
"I joined a club that no parent ever wants to be a part of," Mitchell said.
Ezquerra, an East Lake High swimmer, died nearly two weeks ago. He is the fourth high school swimmer in Pinellas County to die by suicide in the past five years.
For Jody Sanders, each life lost is one too many.
In January 2015, the Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that her son Vance, also an East Lake swimmer, died from gunshot wound by suicide.
Soon after, Jody became involved in suicide prevention awareness. She has held numerous fundraisers, including one this past weekend at North Shore Pool in St. Petersburg.
Seven Pinellas County teams participated in the Laps for Life swim-a-thon to kick off the high school season. The event raised $3,400 with the donations going toward vouchers for students who want counseling, as well as financial support for families who have lost a child.
"Really, more than anything else, this a platform to identify the need for mental health awareness and suicide prevention," Jody said.
Vance was a nationally-ranked swimmer. He told jokes. He made good grades.
He also was hurting. Vance, who was 15 when he died, struggled to deal with his father's rehabilitation after a near-fatal car accident. He was bullied.
"I call it layers," said his father, Gary. "I still don't know what specifically put him over the edge. I think there were a number of things that attributed to it. Friends weren't treating him well. But he didn't really express it. He seemed very content. He was successful. He had goals."
Vance's death rattled the family. His older brother, Grant, another top-ranked swimmer, returned home from the University of Arizona. Grant spent a year going through counseling before transferring to Florida.
Jody, meanwhile, kept searching for answers.
"Vance's death shined a light on suicide," she said. "I had the calling to do something, especially after hearing about other athletes who died. I couldn't go through hearing about another one. I don't know if it makes it easier for me to do this, but I wanted people to know that there are ways to help.
"If you have a broken leg, you obviously go to the doctor to get it fixed. But what do you do when your heart's hurting, and it's broken? You need to fix it. You don't hold it in. It's not OK to do just do nothing about the pain you're going through."
For four hours Saturday, swimmers took lap after lap. Among those participating were St. Petersburg High's Hannah Kazerounian. The senior, along with sister Mena, are advocates for the swim-a-thon and active in suicide prevention at their school.
Mena, who was unable to participate in the weekend fundraiser, took action last year when she flagged down a counselor after spotting another student on the roof of a building at school.
"My sister possibly prevented a real tragic situation from happening," Hannah said. "It's sad to see that so many people are uncomfortable talking about (suicide). It's a topic that people need to discuss, especially if you're stressed or having problems. My sister and I both have anxiety about things, but it's better to talk about what you're dealing with and makes you feel more comforted knowing that other people are going through the same thing."
Most of the Sanders family was involved in the fundraiser. Gary and daughter Janae both swam. Jody ran the event, selling raffle tickets and playing music for the swimmers.
Mitchell was in the stands.
"It's powerful," she said. "To be out here and see so many swimmers doing this for such a great cause is just an incredible feeling. There's so much support.
"I can feel my son here."
Ezquerra was an honors student. He talked about becoming a psychologist. He took up swimming in high school and was hoping to earn a college scholarship.
"My message to every parent out there is to never let your guard down because it is a false sense of security," Mitchell said. "It's not real. Our children are not emotionally stable enough to be left alone with guns. We've seen teenagers devastated over stupid things. ... There is no chance for them to think 'I want to live' after the fact."
Jody also runs a non-profit charity called Vance Lives dedicated to providing mental health and educational services to deal with suicide prevention. She wants Laps for Life to become an annual event. She plans to invite more teams, maybe branch out to other counties.
Mitchell wants to be active, too. She plans to start a non-profit to provide counselors at schools, as well as create other outreach programs for families.
Part of the funds from this past weekend will go toward meals for Mitchell.
Before leaving Saturday, Jody gave Mitchell a book to read: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Originally published in 1946, the book chronicles Frankl's experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II and his methods for identifying a positive purpose in life.
"This book will help in a lot of ways," Jody said.
Mitchell needed something more.
Without speaking, the mothers shared a long, reassuring embrace before leaving the pool deck.
