Trans boy, 14, takes own life after struggle to access health care

The teen’s parents tried desperately to get their son the care he needed but met roadblocks at every turn.

A 14-year-old transgender boy took his own life after struggling to access mental health support during his gender transition.

Noah O’Brien died in January not long after sharing with his parents that he was worried about returning to school with a new gender identity.

Six months earlier, he wrote his parents a letter explaining that he identified as a boy.

His mother Lauren O’Brien admits that at first she thought he was being influenced by friends, but before long it all started to make sense.

“The longer that time went on, we just saw, no, it was definitely just him, who he was,” she told ABC Four Corner’s on Monday.

Noah O'Brien took his life after struggling to access mental health support. Picture: ABC

Even with their love and support, his parents were not equipped to handle the ongoing challenges of his gender dysphoria.

Noah was admitted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead after trying to delay the onset of puberty by restricting his eating.

He was diagnosed with anorexia and healthcare professionals encouraged his parents to seek out support for gender dysphoria.

However, when the family visited their GP for a referral, they were shocked to discover Noah would be bumped to the bottom of the waiting list because he had already started puberty.

His mother Lauren said he could not get access to critical mental health support fast enough. Picture: ABC

Without support, Noah’s health deteriorated and he was admitted to hospital for a second time.

As the new school year approached, his fear overwhelmed him and he took his own life.

His parents desperately worked to save him after finding him unresponsive in his room.

“My husband gave him CPR,” Ms O’Brien said.

“The police arrived about four minutes after we called them and they took him to Westmead Hospital, where he stayed alive until six in the morning.”

“So, we got seven hours to actually say goodbye.”

Originally published as Trans boy, 14, takes own life after struggle to access health care