CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Two grieving mothers are doing what they can to bring attention to the issue of suicide.

Evan Crowther was a local musician who performed up and down the east coast and even signed a recording contract in Nashville.

“He called me, he was so excited," said his mother, Cindy Newman, Evan's mother. "He said, 'mom I signed my contract in the same room Elvis signed his', and I was like 'oh my gosh.'”

He was loving, giving and talented, even though he struggled with depression and epileptic seizures.

“You could do him wrong, but the very next day if you were in need, he would give you the shirt off his back,” she said.

But in March of this year, he killed himself, just two weeks after his 26^th birthday.

“They always say parents aren’t supposed to bury their children,” she said. “I never thought this would happen.”

That’s what led Newman to the Survivors of Suicide Loss, a support group that meets twice a month at the Wood Library in Canandaigua.

“It’s a struggle every morning. When I get up, I have to talk myself up," Newman admitted. "You can do this, you got this. Evan would want you to keep going.”

The group’s facilitator, Donna Besler, is an activist who speaks with schools and legislators. She lost her son Brennan Besler to suicide in November 2014.

 “We have a crisis. And something needs to be done or our support group is going to continue to grow," Besler said. "You don’t want it to grow, you don’t want new members.”

Brennan was 19 and on a full-ride scholarship at Pepperdine University.

“Brilliant, brilliant young man," Besler said of her son. "He was talented, he was lead in school plays, he was in three choirs. He was picked as a freshman, non-music major, to go over to Prague to compete, and that is unheard of in the history of Pepperdine.”

Both women say they wished they had known the signs to look for.

“I never thought he’d take it to that point because I had just spoken to him three days before it all happened and he assured me everything was okay, that he was doing therapy,” Newman said.

Their message on World Suicide Prevention Day is for loved ones to learn to recognize these signs.

“Depression is real. Educate yourself on the signs," Besler said. "It might be one little thing you notice. Don’t be afraid to ask that question.”

And don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed.

“I don’t want other people that are hurting to feel like they have no other option," Newman said. "You do have options. There are people who will listen.”

They say there’s a stigma behind mental illness that prevents proper dialogue which could save lives.

“We don't talk about mental illness or suicide," Newman said. "You go to a grief counseling session and they all gasp. Oh, we don’t talk about that here. Well, why not?”

Those seeking help can call 1-800-273-8255, or text 741-741. Resources are also available at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.