Twelve years after the tragic death of Rehtaeh Parsons, her mother Leah joins The Afternoon Pint for a conversation about trauma, institutional failure, and finding purpose after unimaginable loss.
Leah paints a vivid portrait of Rehtaeh—a compassionate teenager with dreams of becoming a marine biologist, whose life spiraled downward after a sexual assault was photographed and shared among her peers. What follows is a harrowing account of systematic failure across institutions meant to protect vulnerable youth.
The conversation shifts to crucial questions about our digital age. Should we restrict social media access by age, or should we hold platforms accountable for harmful content? Leah advocates strongly for the latter, noting these companies already have sophisticated filtering systems they could deploy to protect young users. Most striking is her call for empathy education, sparked by witnessing her younger daughter's stabbing while classmates merely recorded the attack rather than intervening—a chilling indicator of how digital exposure has desensitized youth to real suffering.
Through her grief journey, Leah has transformed tragedy into purpose by creating a 100-acre animal sanctuary in Rehtaeh's memory. This sanctuary embodies her belief that healing comes in many forms beyond traditional therapy—a philosophy shaped by her professional background as a therapist and her personal experience navigating profound loss. Her candid revelations about initially wanting to abandon parenting altogether, then choosing daily to move forward for her other children, offer insights into grief's complex reality. As Leah puts it, grief is "rolling"—not something you heal from once, but something you choose to navigate daily.

Share this episode with anyone concerned about youth mental health, digital citizenship, or finding purpose after loss.

On September 20th, the Rehteah Parsons Society will be hosting Rae's Awareness Suicide Prevention Walk. You can find the details for the walk on Facebook if you would like to participate and show your support.

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