Former Miss America Family Tragedy

CBN.com FORMER MISS AMERICA

Angela Baraquio was an elementary P.E. teacher and athletic director when she was crowned Miss Hawaii 2000. That same year, Angela went on to win the title of Miss America 2001.

In doing so, she made history, becoming the first teacher to win, and continues to be the first and only Asian Miss America in history. Her platform issue was character education.

Winning the pageant was a dream come true and has opened up many opportunities to Angela.

She has added TV host, speaker, writer and singer to her resume since winning the crown. Through it all, she’s had the support and encouragement from her tight-knit family.

Angela is the eighth of ten children. She was raised in Hawaii by her parents who are Filipino immigrants. She and her family have always been very close, “just because in proximity, we had to be close to each other,” she says laughing. Angela and her siblings were raised in a strong Catholic family. One thing that brought them together was singing in the church choir.

LOSS

In 2006, Angela and her family faced a devastating loss when her 28-year-old brother Albert committed suicide. Angela recalls that Albert always had a smile on his face and was the life of the party. So what made him take his life? This is a question that Angela still grapples with today. She had no idea that her brother was contemplating suicide, though for some members of the family there were signs.

Albert had attempted to commit suicide shortly before he actually went through with it, saved only when a family member showed up at his house and found him inside his car attempting to asphyxiate himself. Family members didn’t tell Angela right away because she was just days away from giving birth to her second child and they didn’t want her to worry or cause stress to the baby.

Angela was close in age to Albert and the two shared a close bond. He had moved from Hawaii to California in 2004 near Angela and one other sister, so they spent a lot of time together in the last months of his life. Angela celebrated Albert’s 28th birthday with him, which was four days after his initial attempt, and that was the last time she saw him alive.

She recalls Albert telling her that he loved her, kissing her and her belly, talking to the baby she was about to deliver. Angela says that was weird because that wasn’t really like him, but she didn’t think much about it at the time.

Then just a few weeks later, Albert died by suicide in Hawaii. By that point, Angela had given birth to her baby and had been filled in about the initial attempt. She also had a chance to talk to Albert about it and never thought he’d really go through with suicide.

Angela thought he’d put the idea behind him after his initial attempt. She was devastated when she learned he was dead.

Angela experienced many emotions in dealing with Albert’s suicide. She was angry at him, angry at her family for not telling her about the initial attempt right away, confused about why Albert would take such drastic measures when he seemed to live a relatively happy life.

SO WHY WOULD HE DO IT?

Angela says that Albert had some troubles with his girlfriend, though she never thought they were serious problems. He was upset that he was always thought of as “the party boy” and wanted people to take him more seriously. But the one thing her family really believes is that Albert may have been bipolar. After his initial suicide attempt, he went to counseling, but the doctor didn’t get to observe him long enough to make a diagnosis.

FAMILY COPINGS, THE BEST THEY CAN

The Baraquios have had a very difficult time dealing with his suicide. They’ve made a few decisions however that have helped them cope. As soon as the family was all together they did group counseling with their priest. Angela says that was very helpful to them.

Suicide is difficult for any family, but in addition to the normal sadness, confusion and questions, Christian families must also grapple with the questions about the soul of their loved-one, will he or she go to heaven?

This was a major struggling point for the Baraquio family. As Catholics, they’d always been taught that if someone commits suicide they will go to hell, no ifs, ands or buts about it. When they met with their priest, however, they were comforted by the idea that God could show grace to someone with a mental disease, such as being bipolar.

This was the first time they’d heard that idea, and it brought much hope to the family. The pain is still very real and cuts deep for the Baraquio family. It’s been about a year and a half since Albert’s death, and still many questions remain unanswered.

They rely on their faith in God to ease their pain and look to one another for comfort and support. The family also found healing in music, making a tribute cd for Albert titled, “Lost and Found.”

BACK TO HER ROOTS

Angela continues to host a local television show with one of her sisters in Hawaii, though she lives in Anaheim, California. She is happily married with two children. She is starting a new teaching job this fall and excited to get back into the classroom.