The Wednesday before sorority recruitment began was busy.

Madelon Allen had spent much of the day decorating the Delta Delta Delta house. It was midafternoon before she went to her room and checked her phone for messages.

“Hey kiddo, it’s dad. Call me back when you can.”

Her father’s short message brought her to tears.

A short time later he and her sister arrived on campus to tell Madelon what she already knew: Her mother, who had long struggled with depression, had committed suicide.

More than 16 million American adults were affected by depression last year, making it one of the most common mental illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of the reported 30,000 suicides in the U.S. each year.

Lynn Drury Allen, 47, had battled depression for as long as Madelon could remember.

Madelon said her mother’s illness worsened in the past few years.

“I know that things had to have been really bad for her to do what she did,” Madelon said. “I respect her for being the soldier that she was for so long.”

The parents of 7,000 to 12,000 U.S. children commit suicide annually, according to research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Although the death of a parent from any cause can have longterm ramifications, parental suicide is staggering to the children, said Dr. Debra Atkisson, a Fort Worth psychiatrist who specializes in child psychiatry.

She said college is a critical time for a child and a parent suicide can only add to the stress.

“This has a very strong impact, because when someone begins college they begin one of their biggest life transitions,” Atkisson said. “It’s one of the most challenging transitions.”

The emotional shock of parental suicide affects the ability to focus and function along with causing indecisiveness, she said. These are all things students need when they are beginning a new school year, she added.

“The mother is often looked at as a touchstone for when you are making that transition as someone you can go back to be emotionally supportive,” Atkisson said. “To have her suddenly pulled away from you, I think would feel very disorienting.”

Madelon inherited a lot from her mother: her blonde hair, her smile, and her depression.

Depression and stress made Madelon’s senior year in high school difficult.

She sought help and while in treatment, she met other young people struggling with depression and other mental illnesses. Their stories inspired her to use social media to raise awareness about mental health.

She began the Positivity Project on Facebook. It’s a series of posts containing articles, inspiring messages and quotes geared toward youths struggling with mental illness. Madelon wanted the page to be simple to understand for young viewers, but inspiring at the same time.

“I myself wish that I had someone there telling me these things so hopefully I can be that for other people,” Madelon said.

While Madelon knows one Facebook page cannot fix everything, she still feels it is important to have something out there.

“I would rather have one person see my posts and feel better than not have anything out there at all,” Madelon said.

Madelon has expanded the Positivity Project to platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr. Her efforts caught the attention of administrators working to prevent suicides at TCU.

“I knew of her before all of this happened,” said Cortney Gumbleton, TCU’s suicide prevention outreach coordinator. “We would write messages back and forth to each other.”

Madelon’s parents graduated from TCU in 1988. Lynn earned a B.A. in business and finance and later returned to earn a master’s degree in education. Like Madelon, she was a member of the Tri Delts and was active until her death.

This past summer, Madelon and her mom spent every morning tending to flowers in their garden and playing with their cat, Georgia.

Their last crafting project was a rug with the Tri Delta logo.

Madelon said it’s little moments like these that she cherishes the most. Since her mom’s death, Madelon said she has leaned on the sorority.

“I know my mom wanted me to have a great experience here at TCU and as a DDD,” Madelon said. “It makes me feel connected to her too because I know this is something we both share.”

Tri Delt has always held an importance in Madelon’s family. Her parents even met through her mom’s big, or sorority mentor.

“There were little pieces of Tri Delt that mom always had in the house that I didn’t really see as Tri Delt until I became a member,” Madelon said.

Whenever she misses her mother she thinks of 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

The Tri Delt motto, “Let us steadfastly love one another,” is modeled off of this.

Stephanie McNamara, Madelon’s best friend and sorority sister, said Delta love has been overflowing for Madelon since her mother’s death.

Most of the TCU Tri Delt chapter attended Lynn’s memorial service. They lined the walls of the church because the pews were overflowing.

“It was so cool to see everyone come together,” said McNamara. “You don’t want to need it everyday in your life but it’s amazing to know that it’s there.

In September, more than 120 members participated in the annual Run for Life, a 5k dedicated to the memory of those who have committed suicide. Madelon said the response was unexpected and overwhelming.

“I think it showed her one more time that we are all behind her,” said Sarah McMichael, Madelon’s grand-big in Tri Delt.

Instead of feeling angry with her mom, Madelon remembers her as a creative and humble woman who fiercely loved her and her sister, Claire.

“I don’t even know how to describe her,” Madelon said. “She was just a big bundle of all kinds of great things.”

Madelon said her mother was resilient in seemingly never letting her depression get her down.

She was my best friend,” Madelon said. “She was my mom.”