A Kalamazoo mom is begging for help after one son commits suicide, and a second threatens to hurt himself and others.

The mother has dealt with a major tragedy, losing her 16-year-old son.

Charlene Sanders says for years, her entire family has struggled with mental illness, and now she's hoping to get the help she says they need before it's too late.

Charlene says her entire family struggles with mental illness and that she's tried to get help for years, but that no one is listening.

Then, two days ago, she says she got a call at work with devastating news--her son, Carl Bragg--had taken his life.

Carl had been a student at Loy Norrix High School, and the district tells Newschannel 3 that grief counselors are avaialble at the school.

Charlene says just Monday, her 15-year-old son had threatened to hurt someone, and then commit suicide.

She says she's turned to Child Protective Services, the courts, and others for help, and she believes that if someone had listened to her, her son's death may have been prevented.

Sanders says she's afraid that if no one hears her pleas, this won't be the end of her suffering.

But one local group says the help is out there for those in need.

"I feel the system has truly failed us; truly failed us. There's too many documentations, too many things," Charlene said. "I don't want to lose another son. I don't want anybody else to lose their kids. This is real."

"I think that when people call into Gryphon Place through 2-1-1, that's certainly where a lot of them are at; a lot of them feel that they have not received the help that they need and are not sure where to next turn for resources," said Lacee Lyons, the Assistant Director at Gryphon Place, in Kalamazoo.

Gryphon Place says that 2-1-1 number or 381-HELP can connect folks with a number of resources, like a mobile crisis response group 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and several of those services are free.