Below is a picture of my son who sadly took his own life in March 2024.
My message this morning is one of appeal and understanding. The greatest loss of being a parent is to bury your children before yourself. There were no signs of the mental distress he was going through, we were close and spoke about everything. I believed I was doing the right thing as a dad, listening and talking no matter how uncomfortable the conversation became.
The conversation never once touched on suicide or how we both felt about the subject. When I got the call from Luke's girlfriend, it floored me, it took my breath away and instantly something inside of me died with him.
To all the parents out there, the siblings and the friends of the young community! I implore you to speak up, intervene or guide someone you may know who is suffering. The smile or the laughter you see or hear, may not be genuine.. if you have doubts, talk please.
I will forever punish myself and I will blame myself for Luke's death, it may not be the case but it's how I feel. I do not want anyone to go through the devastation and life shattering impact of suicide.
Please, all I ask is for everyone to share what I have said today, reach out and help anyone you may feel is struggling. Thank you for reading this post today, and share if you think it's appropriate.
November 2001 to March 2024
Love you always, Dad 🙏🏻😞