EditorSA国际影视传媒檚 note: This article discusses bullying, suicide and self-harm.

Timothy Henderson was born at Stanton Hospital on Oct. 12, a day after his motherSA国际影视传媒檚 birthday.

SA国际影视传媒淗e was a gift from right from the beginning,SA国际影视传媒� his father, Ian, told Yellowknifer.

Timothy died at Stanton Hospital on April 26, 2015, from self-inflicted injuries. He was 17.

What happened during TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 short but colourful life that caused his early demise?

He suffered from a mix of poor health, childhood bullying and lack of psychiatric support, said Ian. In other words, he says his sonSA国际影视传媒檚 death was SA国际影视传媒渢otally preventable.SA国际影视传媒�

By his first birthday, Timothy began showing signs of developmental delays. His parents assembled a care team including an audiologist, speech and occupational therapist and a pediatrician.

As he was too young to formally diagnose, SA国际影视传媒渢hey recommended as much socialization as possible so he had a full schedule from a very early age,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian.

Under his care teamSA国际影视传媒檚 guidance and support, Timothy made excellent progress academically and socially.

SA国际影视传媒淗is peers, teachers. and family were impressed with his passion and dedication to music, drama, and art,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian.

At age 7, Timothy was diagnosed with ADHD and AspergerSA国际影视传媒檚 syndrome. He was prescribed Ritalin, which gave him negative side effects.

TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 uniqueness and aptitude made him a target for bullies. But there was little Ian could do.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 no recourse at the school. All (victims) can do is report it. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 no real consequences as they are all underage,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian.

He noted that SA国际影视传媒渘ot much had changedSA国际影视传媒� since he was bullied at school.

For a while, Timothy SA国际影视传媒渢ook it,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian. His peers would call him names and sometimes it would get physical.

Until one day, Timothy asserted himself and told his bullies, in no uncertain terms, to back off.

While not an ideal situation, Ian said, this was the turning point and TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 school life began to improve for a while.

The years of bullying coupled with his illnesses saddled Timothy with self-doubt.

SA国际影视传媒淯nfortunately, he never believed the accolades, praise or credits coming his way and was extremely hard on himself,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian.

In his latter years of high school, Timothy began solidifying friendships and pouring himself into music.

He wrote, recorded and mixed his own music and assembled him own band, not before teaching himself each instrument so he could instruct others.

At 17, TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 life started to unravel SA国际影视传媒� again.

SA国际影视传媒淗e no longer qualified for pediatric support,SA国际影视传媒� Ian recalled.

He was accepted into MacEwan University in Edmonton and his high school helped write a report to convey his needs to the post-secondary institution. However, the report was SA国际影视传媒渢otally ignored,SA国际影视传媒� Ian said.

In the interim, SA国际影视传媒渟chool counsellors attempted to fill the chasm he was hurtling down,SA国际影视传媒� he explained.

Despite the pitfalls, Timothy excelled at the beginning of his university program, with one music professor telling him he had the best natural ear that the instructor had ever encountered.

During his second term, TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 mental health SA国际影视传媒� and academic progress SA国际影视传媒� plummeted.

He called help lines and self-admitted as suicidal at a hospital in Edmonton. Yet he was sent back to school, said Ian.

Timothy medically withdrew from classes and came back to his family in Yellowknife with a plan to get help and return to his degree the following year.

SA国际影视传媒淥n returning home, he became even more frustrated with the continuing revolving door of locums unqualified and not authorized to prescribe medication,SA国际影视传媒� Ian said. SA国际影视传媒淣one offered any solution other than the same entry-level anti-anxiety exercises, so Timothy researched and tested solutions himself.SA国际影视传媒�

He even self-diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which Ian said was confirmed by a healthcare professional.

His condition had deteriorated to dangerous levels of self-harm, including experimenting with cutting and suffocation, his father says.

Ian found thousands of messages on TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 Facebook account where his son and his sonSA国际影视传媒檚 peers were counselling each other in the absence of professional guidance.

In April 2015, Timothy checked himself in to the psychiatric ward at Stanton Hospital and two days after he was released for a second time, he died.

The official word from the hospital is that Timothy died as a result of head injuries, but his father says his son was self-harming; restricting his own breathing as a way numb the pain.

Nearly seven years on, the family remains angry at the mental healthcare system and the lack of support. Their hurt is inflamed by the fact that Timothy was doing everything in his power to get better. But ultimately, SA国际影视传媒淗e never recovered from some unfortunate social occurrences,SA国际影视传媒� said Ian.

More than 400 people attended TimothySA国际影视传媒檚 celebration of life at the Multiplex.