In life, Zachary “Zack” Born had dreams of being a mixed martial arts competitor and a professional welder by trade. 

In death, Born — ever the selfless 19-year-old who battled autism, depression and memories of a housefire that left him severely burned from the waist down — donated three heart valves to science. He also donated his kidneys and liver to others so they could live.

“The really poignant part of this is today is Suicide Prevention Day and this is Suicide Prevention Month,” said Zack’s mother, Patty Born, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who lives in Maricopa and works at the state prison in Florence. 

Zack Born died of suicide on Wednesday and his organs were harvested the next day. 

Patty Born, in mourning the loss of her son, said she was glad she had “the conversation” with Zack about him being an organ donor.  She urges other parents to do the same. 

She calls her son a “hero” for becoming an organ donor when he obtained his driver’s license about a month ago. 

She also urges parents to talk to their children who are chronically depressed and the victims of bullying and ridicule. 

“Call it mother’s intuition, but I knew my son would not be here long,” she said, adding she is still trying to put the pieces together to find out what might have led to Zack’s decision to end his life. 

She said even though he was athletic and a skater, his mentality was not as healthy.  

“My son really struggled to make friends and had autism,” his mother said.  “He was sweet, he was kind, he was wise beyond his years.” 

She said Zack felt picked on by the managers and some co-workers he worked with at a Maricopa fast-food restaurant.  

“Zack’s work hours were reduced until he ultimately quit,” she said, adding that his managers could be very cruel to him and were in great need of sensitivity training. 

She also said she is looking into the possibility that he was mocked for burns he received two years ago in a housefire while attending classes at Central Arizona College in Coolidge. 

“Something changed that day that sent my son in a horrible tailspin,” she told InMaricopa. 

In a Facebook post, Patty Born said she wants others to learn from Zack’s life and death. 

“Teach your loved ones to be kind to others, especially if they are different,” she wrote. “Different doesn’t mean bad, just unfamiliar. However, we are all trying to get through this life the best way we can. Lots of people were mean to my son and it breaks my heart.” 

Born, like many others, sees “depression is a real thing.” 

“If your loved ones are suffering from depression, help them to find resources, but also remember that they are regular people,” she said. “Don’t be scared of them or distance yourself because you don’t know what to say or how to help them.” 

Talking about how one feels is how people can deal with depression, she said. Otherwise, it stays inside and festers. 

Reacting to people’s comments on her social media post about how people should better treat their employees, Born said: “It’s not that I’m angry and want somebody to pay. I want some sensitivity training. I want the adults in the room to say, ‘That’s not OK.’”