An Illinois mother gave an emotional interview, saying her teenage son committed suicide because of “COVID isolation” and the cancellation of winter sports by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“My son died because of COVID isolation,” Lisa Moore said on Fox News’s The Faulkner Focus of her son Trevor Till on Wednesday.
“I believe that 100%, that it changed Trevor from who he was to the person that did this. I tell parents, helicopter the heck out of your kids. Watch them. Watch for any change, any slight change in their behavior. Make opportunities for them to see their friends. Do whatever you have to. I don’t want any other mother or father or parent or sibling to have to go through this. It’s horrific.”
Till died by suicide in October at 18 years old after a senior high school year of remote learning and a short college experience affected by lockdowns.
After his death, Moore, as well as other parents, filed a suit against Pritzker and the Illinois High School Association over COVID-19 restrictions.
“He achieved in the classroom. He was an Illinois state scholar. … He made it to state as a pole vaulter his sophomore year. Junior, he missed it by three inches, so he was so gung-ho for senior year and, because of COVID, was not allowed to compete,” Moore continued in her interview.
“I miss him so much,” Moore said.
She said that when the coronavirus first hit last year, it was unclear how long Trevor would be away from school. And as the weeks dragged on, she “saw changes in him.”
“He was a teenage boy, you know. They need their friends. They need that interaction. They need the socialization. But Trevor, like I said before, had such a wonderful rapport with his teachers, and he was that student in the classroom that raised his hand, that got the conversations going,” she said.
Pritzker announced a “hold” on winter sports last year as a measure to fight the coronavirus, which Moore and her attorney said affected Till.
Laura Grochocki, Moore’s lawyer, said during the interview that the “elites in power” dismiss high school students and their need to be able to compete in sports.
“Professional sports … they’ve been allowed to play because they’re rich and powerful. College sports, also powerful, very wealthy, and financially rewarding broadcast opportunities for these schools,” Grochocki said. “High school students have been denied this opportunity. The state has classified basketball and football and wrestling and Frisbee as high-risk sports and have canceled them until very, very recently.”
