EXCLUSIVE
A 14-year-old schoolgirl who tragically took her own life after suffering mental health issues which were exacerbated by bullying left a heartbreaking, six-word message for her devastated family, as she is remembered as a ‘ball of awesomeness’.
Isla Marschke was discovered by her mother Christie Jacobson in the backyard of their Bundaberg South home in Queensland on Tuesday evening.
Ms Jacobson desperately performed CPR but it was too late to save Isla, who had left a short note in her room alongside her phone password.
‘I’m sorry, I love you, mum,’ the message read.
Ms Jacobsen said she had faced an uphill battle to get help for her daughter who had suffered with ‘existing mental health issues’ for several years.
‘I live in a regional town and I went for months and months, desperately trying to find a child psychologist who could help my daughter,’ Ms Jacobsen told Daily Mail Australia.
‘But I was constantly turned away because she was too young or their books were full. Follow-up care was almost impossible. I can’t tell you the amount of instances I would ask for help and be told “no, no, no”.
‘Whilst this was happening she was also receiving some bullying and experiencing family dynamic issues.’
Isla Marschke (pictured) was discovered by her mother, Christie Jacobson, in the backyard of their Bundaberg South home in Queensland on Tuesday evening
Ms Jacobson desperately performed CPR but it was too late to save Isla, who had left a short note in her room alongside her phone password (pictured: Isla and her mother, Christie)
‘But there wasn’t really a lead-up to it and we are all totally devastated.’
Ms Jacobsen, a piano instructor and performing artist, called for more funding for mental health support in regional areas.
Just two hours before Isla was found she had been chatting happily at home with her older sister Ava, 16, about their upcoming birthdays and the presents they both wanted.
Ava, who was the last person to speak to Isla, then left for her job as a pharmacy assistant at Chemist Warehouse before her stepfather came and told her the awful news shortly before 6pm.
‘Isla and I had just been just talking about normal stuff,’ Ava told this publication.
‘It’s my birthday next Friday and hers is on the 24th, so she was just talking about how she got me a present. She seemed really fine.’
Isla, who worked in a local fish and chip shop, had been the victim of bullying and had left traditional school in July to start distance education because she struggled to fit in.
‘She’d been struggling for quite a while. Last year, two of her closest former friends started bullying her. One of them would post TikTok videos calling her a rat and stuff,’ Ava added.
‘I’ve had to message them before to leave Isla alone and I’ve had to speak to them at school before to leave Isla alone because it just gets so out of hand.’
‘They were just awful to her.’
Isla, who worked in a local fish and chip shop, had been the victim of bullying and had left traditional school in July to start distance education because she struggled to fit in
Just two hours before Isla was found she had been chatting happily at home with her older sister Ava, 16, about their upcoming birthdays and the presents they both wanted.
Isla, who had suffered for several years with mental illness before the bullying began and had been diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and autism, seemed to improve drastically after the move to home learning.
‘She was thriving, she wanted to be a leader and her school work was just improving out of sight,’ Andy McLucas, Isla’s stepfather, said.
‘She absolutely loved it. She had found her place so it just has come as such a shock.’
Mr McLucas, who is separated from Isla’s mother, said she had ‘been through various bouts of counselling and speaking with therapists’.
‘Once we removed the school element, she was doing quite well,’ Mr McLucas said.
‘When she was down, it was very noticeable. But this wasn’t one of those times, she had just seemed a little bit flat.’
Mr McLucas, who said Isla was a talented musician and singer, paid tribute to her ‘quirky’ personality.
Isla was remembered for her ‘quirky’ personality and was described as a ‘ball of awesomeness’
A GoFundMe page , which was set up by Ava to help cover the cost of her funeral, has so far raised over $20,000
‘She just had such a wickedly awesome sense of humour to the point that not many people understood it because she was just so funny and so different,’ Mr McLucas said.
‘She was so talented. She had a beautiful voice, loved to sing all the time and could play any instrument. She was just a ball of awesomeness.’
Her voice was so good that her new school had recently asked her to record the national anthem so that it could be played during assemblies.
‘She was so empathetic towards those that she loved,’ Mr McLucas added.
‘And when she took to you, she really took to you. She was very picky and she just didn’t gel with everyone, but when she did she just loved fiercely, and she would read you.
‘She just didn’t know how loved she was.’
A GoFundMe page, which was set up by Ava to help cover the cost of her funeral, has so far raised over $20,000.
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