Hundreds give send-off to West Fargo teen Brady Prochnow heads to Nebraska following suicide attempt

By Kevin Wallevand | WDAY

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

FARGO — Hundreds of people stood in the snow and rain Thursday night, April 20, outside Sanford Medical Center to support 16-year-old Brady Prochnow as he prepares for a new chapter in his life.

Prochnow is headed to a rehabilitation center in Nebraska just a month after he attempted suicide.

Friends, family and strangers joined many of his classmates and teammates, in the cold rain, at the entrance to Sanford where he has been since mid-March. Many of the 300 people carried signs and balloons. All there in the winter-like night for Prochnow.

“It is crazy. None of us could’ve predicted how many would show up, it goes to show what kind of impact he had on everybody,” a friend of Prochnow’s said.

While many couldn’t see him, he was there. And for the first time in a month, we saw how far this West Fargo High School sophomore has come. On his last night there before heading to a rehab center, he stood with and watched a community come together for him.

Family and friends of Brady Prochnow show their support outside of Sanford Medical Center on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

David Samson/ The Focus

“If anyone ever needs help, don’t be afraid to reach out, ever,” another friend of Prochnow’s said.

“He is my cousin and I have struggle(d) with suicide before. I was in the same room as he was, and I lived so, it is a big part of my life and I am just happy he is here,” a family member said.

To donate to the Prochnow family, visit their Lend A Hand Up page.