Kristina Kuzmic, a 45-year-old content creator and author, once feared she might lose her 15-year-old son, Luka, to suicide. She realized that to help him, she needed to let go of her desire to control everything.
Kuzmic recalls the deep fear she felt as she saw her lively son, known for his big laugh, start to withdraw from the life he once enjoyed. By the time Luka was 15, he was battling depression and suicidal thoughts, and had started stealing to fund his opioid and marijuana use.
One night in April 2019, things took a terrifying turn. After his parents confiscated money he intended to use for drugs, Luka flew into a rage, breaking a glass against the wall. He spit in his mother’s face and tried to harm himself and his stepfather with the glass. Desperate, Kristina called the police. "It was the hardest thing," she admits. "I knew helping him was beyond my capacity."
Despite her personal crisis, Kristina, who gained fame in 2011 after winning a reality competition picked by Oprah and now has 4 million social media followers, continued to bring laughter to others through her Hope and Humor tour. “I wanted to be for others what I needed,” she explains.
After nearly six years, seven psychiatrists, and five therapists, Luka, now 20, is in a much better place. Kristina’s new book, "I Can Fix This. And Other Lies I Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child", details their journey and the lessons they learned. Both mother and son sat down to share their story.
Luka Kuzmic: As a kid, I loved making people laugh. But severe bullying took a toll. I wanted to fit in but felt alone, even in a crowd. I wanted to escape.
Kristina Kuzmic: He was isolating, and I thought it was typical teenage behavior. I assumed his anger was just hormones. But then he started withdrawing from friends and finding no joy in anything.
Luka: I remember feeling a growing darkness and coldness during high school.
By age 14, Luka was drinking, vaping, and using opioids. Kristina got him a therapist, who diagnosed him with depression.
Kristina: When I noticed the signs, I wish we had gone to therapy together—not to fix him, but to learn how I could better support him.
Luka: The first time I drank and smoked, I felt the happiest I'd ever been. It was an escape from sadness. It escalated, and I’d even pay classmates a dollar for a hit. It was the only thing getting me through.
Kristina: One day in the car, I asked if he’d ever thought about hurting himself. He said yes. My world shifted. I was terrified but knew I had to keep the conversation going without dismissing his feelings.
Luka’s drug use and anger intensified.
Kristina: He stole pain pills from his grandparents. I’d find vapes or pills, take them away, and punish him. He’d punch walls until his fists were bloody. I was treating symptoms instead of understanding his depression. I should have asked, “What do drugs do for you? Help me understand.” In therapy, he once asked, “Mom, if getting high was the only thing stopping you from killing yourself, wouldn’t you do it?” That’s when I realized it wasn’t just rebellion—it was survival.
As things got worse, the fear grew.
Kristina: I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t harm himself or others. The night he became violent, I knew I had to call the police. It was heartbreaking. They took him to a psychiatric hospital. At the time, he hated me for it.
Luka: I was angry and felt betrayed. Depression blinds you. But despite her mistakes, she never gave up on me.
Kristina: Teens often push parents away, but they still need us to be there, no matter how imperfectly.
While Luka was in the hospital, Kristina turned 40.
Kristina: I considered canceling my party, but my mother-in-law insisted I needed support. I felt fake and miserable, but a friend pointed out that by going through with it, I gave Luka one less thing to feel he ruined. I learned that positive emotions aren’t something you have to earn. If Luka is never healthy, does that mean I can’t enjoy my life? Suffering doesn’t help your child; it only adds pressure on them.
Luka: I would have felt worse if she had canceled. It would have confirmed my fear that I ruin everything.
After seven weeks of residential treatment, Luka found support in group therapy and decided to quit drugs. Although he didn’t graduate with his class, he earned his diploma in 2021. Kristina threw him a home graduation ceremony.
Kristina: Parents often pressure their kids to fit a certain timeline. That’s harmful. Luka graduated on his own time, and what matters most is his health.
Luka wrote the final chapter in Kristina’s book, "I Can Fix This".
Kristina: I asked if it was too personal to include. He told me, "Write it." He wanted to help others. I’m incredibly proud. I hadn’t seen real joy in him for years, but now there’s laughter again.
Luka: I tell others who are struggling to talk to someone. Saying it out loud or writing it down is powerful.
Through years of support groups and family therapy, Luka and Kristina found balance. But mental health remains a journey.
Luka: I’m grateful for my family and therapy. I still feel depression, but it’s manageable. I’m on effective medication and can recognize and address my needs.
Kristina: Parents want to fix things out of love, but it can lead to self-blame when things don’t improve. I learned that I couldn’t fix his depression or make him stop using drugs. Meeting his anger with anger only isolated him further. The only power I had was in healing myself.
The Quran - Chapter Al-Hadid : 23
˹We let you know this˺ so that you neither grieve over what you have missed nor boast over what He has granted you. For Allah does not like whoever is arrogant, boastful—
