CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Suicide is sometimes a difficult topic to talk about.
One local woman who's speaking out about the death of her teenage son hopes to raise awareness.
Cristian Rodriguez was a Freshman at Veterans Memorial High School.
Sadly, at the age of 14, Rodriguez decided to take his own life.
His mother, Christine Martinez, still trying to recover from her son's death, now dedicates her time raising awareness of suicide and the memory of her son.
Cristian loved basketball and so today a basketball drive was held in his honor.
The basketball drive is aimed to remind people that humans get sad and down, but to remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
"There is hope for a better tomorrow. Hope is all we have sometimes and suicide takes that away from you," said Christine Martinez.
All of the basketballs collected today will be going to non-profits around the Coastal Bend area.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the Nueces Center for Mental Health has a crisis hotline and there's also the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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