Leth’s dad, Richard, died when she was 17.
Nicole Leth lost her dad to suicide as a teen, so now she does everything she can to help others from suffering the same fate.
That includes putting up a billboard in Kansas City, Missouri, with words of encouragement. "You are human. You are loveable. You are strong. You are enough,” it reads.
Leth’s dad, Richard, died when she was just 17. He’d struggled with alcoholism and things unraveled from there. After his death, she promised herself she’d spend her life putting positive things in the world and spreading love.
“For years, I tried doing this through putting positive messages on stickers, and spray-painting buildings, and I had the idea of the billboard and it never seemed like the right time,” Leth, 26, told InsideEdition.com.
Two months ago, she decided to go for it. She chose the words strategically.
“Those are words that I say to myself when I am having a hard day and those are words that I wish I could have said to my dad,” Leth said. “They are simple enough that everyone understands. They are words that help people see their inherent worth.”
She had planned to do the billboard anonymously, but ended up sharing a photo of it on her personal Facebook page. It went viral.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of messages,” Leth said. “People coming up in my yoga classes or on the street telling me it saved their lives. They told me it helped them feel better and that they could keep going.”
And Leth plans on continuing to put up different positive messages each month. It helps her honor her dad.
“He was my best friend,” she said. "Him and I were totally the same person. … He had a really big heart.”
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