When Ben West was just 17-years-old, he lost his younger brother, Sam, to suicide. Ben vowed to create meaningful change and hope for people feeling suicidal. And from the ashes of grief, Reasons to Stay was born.
The message is simple; write a letter that could save a life.
Reasons to Stay is a website where those seeking help can post or receive messages of support, often from a stranger or good samaritan, that can provide connections or hope in their struggles with mental health.
To date, over 3 million letters have been delivered by Ben, who passionately believes that Reasons to Stay has “helped save lives.”
Watch an interview with Ben West here:
And now, Reasons to Stay is aiming to tap into the same rich football community that gave Ben the support he needed to cope with the immense pain of his brother’s passing.
As part of Mental Health Awareness week, Reasons to Stay is partnering with Tottenham Hotspurs’ ‘Together Against Suicide’ campaign to raise awareness of the website not just among Spurs fans, but all across the Premier League.
And the numbers show it’s a partnership that makes perfect sense.
“Someone loses their life from suicide every 90 minutes, the same as a football game,” Ben revealed. “And 84% of football fans believe that we should be talking about suicide more and mental health.”
The website works as writing letters has proved to be a powerful tool in helping combat mental health.
As Ben explains: “What makes a difference to someone that is thinking about suicide is not someone telling them what to do, or telling them to go to a GP.
The big thing that makes a difference is just feeling connected to another person. Reasons to Stay gives so much opportunity for people to have those difficult conversations.”
If you are feeling vulnerable or want to get involved with this amazing campaign between Reasons to Stay and Tottenham, go to https://reasonstostay.org/.
It might just change your life, or help save someone else’s.
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