A man who lost his brother to suicide launched a letter-writing site to try to save lives — and over 400,000 letters have already been sent in two weeks.
Ben West, 25, lost his younger brother Sam to suicide on January 21, 2018, aged 15, after finding him unconscious.
From that moment, Ben said the world became an “incredibly painful” place and he has been a mental health campaigner ever since.
On January 21, 2026, the anniversary of his brother’s death, Ben launched Reasons to Stay — a suicide prevention project where strangers can write anonymous letters for someone struggling with their mental health.
Since launching, more than 400,000 letters have been sent by individuals wanting to support someone struggling with their mental health.
Ben, a mental health campaigner, from Tooting, London, said: “There is a growing demand for a site like this; it feels like more and more people require some level of support.
“There is growing isolation, social disconnection and lack of purpose; these are things that can drive people to take their own lives.
“We have a problem with health care capacity that can’t reach demand, and there are a lot of people who care about this issue.
“I always thought it would be great to connect those people who care with the people who want to be cared for.”
Ben said Sam was “incredibly talented”, surrounded by close friends, and had an “amazing sense of humour”.
In September 2017, just days before his 16th birthday, Sam, was diagnosed with clinical depression.
Ben said: “Sam was incredibly talented, he loved music and art, he definitely put me to shame in terms of creative ability.
“He was really funny, he had an amazing sense of humour, a bit of a class clown occasionally – he was a really great person.
“As his brother, you look back, he would have gone on to be an impressive person who goes on to do some interesting things in life.
“It is bittersweet that someone so talented, so liked, who was such a gift to the world, had an illness that made life seem so dark to him.”
Ben was 17 years old when he rushed to Sam’s room and found him unconscious.
He immediately started CPR to try to save him, but sadly, on January 21, 2018, Sam died.
“I was in complete shock and devastation, it was like a bomb went off in my life,” Ben said.
“Suddenly, I was told he had depression, and a few months later, we were in his room, and I was giving him first aid.
“It was the most shocking, devastating experience you can imagine.
“Suddenly, the world wasn’t this wonderful place I imagined it to be; it was incredibly painful.
“Losing Sam was my first experience of grief.”
After his brother’s death, Ben went on to work as a mental health campaigner.
To mark eight years since Sam took his own life, Ben launched Reasons to Stay.
When people log onto the site, there is an online form where someone can write a letter and submit it.
Then the letter will be sent to a trained clinical moderation team, who reviews the letters before they are published on the site.
Ben said: “I designed this page, so if there was any hope left for Sam, he could go onto the website and find a reason to stay.
“The letters remind you of what is important in life.
“We get swept away, but then you read one of these letters talking about loving yourself and loving the people around you.
“It is a powerful reminder of what matters in life, what matters is valuing who you are, what makes you unique and those around you that make you feel loved.”
When launching the site, Ben had a target of having 100 letters by the end of the week.
Instead, they had 9,000, and have now delivered more than 400,000 letters.
“I would love nothing more than to go back in time and put this in the hands of Sam,” Ben said.
“Then Sam would be the person talking to you now and campaigning for better mental health support.
“Looking back, it would have been so huge if someone could have done something so simple to help Sam.
“It is hard to imagine that someone hasn’t been impacted positively by these letters.
“That makes me smile. I haven’t stopped smiling since the launch.”
If you want to write a letter, visit: https://www.reasonstostay.co.uk/
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
