On January 9th, 2013, Luke, who was just twelve years old and in 7th grade, stayed home from school to recover from the flu. Like his siblings, he missed five days of school due to being sick. That day, he was in his room resting and catching up on his homework. His father checked in on him to see if he was okay and if he needed help with his assignments. Luke’s last words were, “No, Dad, I’m fine.”
Less than 30 minutes later, his brother called 911 while their father tried to help Luke until the EMTs arrived. Luke was taken to the hospital, where he lived for another 24 hours. We hoped that he would pull through, but his heart failed, and he passed away on January 10th, 2013.
To say we were devastated by his death is an understatement. At the time, we believed that Luke never showed the “usual signs” of anxiety, depression, or someone at risk of harming himself. However, there were signs we did not understand. In the weeks leading up to his death, he expressed feelings of wanting to die twice when he struggled to finish all his homework, but he never spoke of suicide to his friends, family, or classmates. Being a perfectionist, we believe he placed added pressure on himself to excel in school, which heightened his anxiety.
As we planned his funeral and navigated the months that followed, we were in a state of shock and disbelief. We couldn't comprehend how this could have happened. After an investigation at his school, reports from his peers, and a review of his electronic devices, there was no evidence that Luke was being bullied or felt isolated. We believe he acted impulsively without understanding the consequences of his actions.
The loss of our firstborn son shattered our family. There are no words to express the never-ending sadness we feel because Luke is not here with us today. Our hopes and dreams have been altered forever. However, it has taken us years and a lot of hard work to rebuild our lives and choose to celebrate the way Luke lived rather than focus on how he died. In Luke’s honor and in memory of all the youth lost to suicide, we share our journey and work diligently through The Luke Spallone Foundation and Project Give Light to prevent youth suicide through education, awareness, and kindness campaigns.