TAMPA, Fla. — Twenty years ago, talking about one's mental health was not as common as it is today, but the taboo has not been completely erased.
That's why one set of parents is bringing it to the forefront after losing their son to suicide.
Anthony Salas said his son, Ben was happy and cheerful. In a home video of a younger Ben, he can be seen sledding down a winter slope of snow and laughing the whole ride down. That laughter continued in another video of an older Ben, but the smile is just the same.
The videos showed snippets of what Ben revealed to the world, but it faded behind closed doors.
"Ben hid it so well, so to speak, and he covered it with mounds of normalcy," Salas said.
In late April, Salas and his wife received a text message from the 21-year-old college student they would have never expected.
"He said that he made the tough decision to take his life," Salas said.
On all accounts, Salas said his son was happy. Ben was a junior at North Carolina State. He was recruited to the rifle team and was talking about the future with his girlfriend.
"I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it. To get a text message like that from someone that just I would have never in a million years suspected that he was going through, having these kind of thoughts and going down this path," Salas said.
The grief is very much there, but Salas said he is not going to stay behind the wall of trauma.
He and his wife are choosing to share Ben's story as well as theirs in hopes this won't happen to someone else's Ben.
"It is personal. It is hard. You know we lost our baby, so but I think it's important my wife and I are committed to sharing Ben's story and share our story," Salas said. "Don't settle for, 'I'm okay'. It could be more and that's where you really have to dig in and ask questions."
If you or someone you know is considering hurting themselves, there's help and hope out there.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay can be reached by dialing 211. You can also dial 988, which is the Suicide Prevention hotline.
There are people there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are ready and waiting if you need them.
