STATISTICS ABOUT DEATH

1.2 million children will lose a parent to death before age 15 (Dr. Elizabeth Weller, Dir. Ohio State University Hospitals, 1991)

Mortality rates for adults in their 40s and 50s in the past two decades have risen dramatically making it more likely that younger children will experience the death of a parent, or a classmate's parent. (Wall Street Journal, Early Grief Article, February 18, 1999)

Currently, 1.9 million youngsters under age 18 (or more than 2 percent of American children) have lost one or both parents. (U. S. Social Security Administration, as reported in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, 7-18-99)

Between 1994 and 1999, 172 students ages 5 to 18 were killed on or near school grounds or at school-related activities. (Anderson RN, Smith BL. Deaths: leading causes for 2001. National Vital Statistics Report 2003; 52(9): 1-86.)

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24. In 2001, 3,971 suicides were reported in this group. (Anderson RN, Smith BL. Deaths: leading causes for 2001. National Vital Statistics Report 2003; 52(9): 1-86.)