This Ties That Bind Us is sponsored by Matt The Carpet Guy.
LEWES, Del. - A Sussex County family is turning the heartbreak of losing a loved to suicide into a mission to support the next generation through free mental health resources for young people.
Sean's House, a free mental health resource for people ages 15 through 24, a recently opened a Sussex County location, expanding its efforts to provide young people with access to mental health professionals.
Cole Speakman, a junior at Cape Henlopen High School and a peer lead at Sean's House in Lewes, said his personal experience with suicide loss has made helping others through their mental health journeys especially meaningful.
"I lost my grandmother to suicide, so it's a bit of a bigger toll for me. It's personal," Speakman said.
Sean's House first opened in Newark in honor of Sean Locke, who died by suicide in 2018 at 23 years old. Locke was the son of Chris and Kat Locke, the co-founders of Sean's House.
Chris Locke described his son as a loving and caring person whose struggles with depression and anxiety were not always apparent to those around him.
"Sean was a bigger than life person, six foot four, gigantic arms. You know, gave you hugs that you just knew you were loved. And, he loved everybody. He was just a happy, great, caring, loving person. So when we lost him to suicide and then realized his battle with depression and anxiety, it really showed us that someone who had outwardly looked like he had everything and everyone saw as sure as a great success story, but he was really struggling," Chris Locke said.
Sean's family honors his life through the foundation SL24: UnLocke the Light. In 2020, the foundation opened Sean's House in Newark, creating a safe space where young people can talk to mental health professionals for free.
“His legacy, which is the tragedy of losing him, does not need to end with that tragedy. You can take that tragedy and then hopefully do something that can honor his legacy," Locke said.
The foundation has since opened its Sussex County location along the same road Sean would drive each summer on his way to the beach.
Hundreds of visitors attended the opening, highlighting the importance of local support for young people's mental health.
”We'll see what the future holds. The one thing that I’ve learned after losing Sean is all you can do is live today. Today is what we have. So the present is far off, and there’s nothing we can do about the past. So today, it’s all about Sean’s House Sussex," Locke emphasized.
Locke said SL24 plans to keep its work in Delaware for now, but the foundation is prepared to grow as the need for support increases.
