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Chester Bennington’s Son Shares Emotional Suicide Prevention Video

Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images
Two months after Chester Bennington died by suicide, his teenage son is actively working to raise awareness about mental illness and suicide.
Draven Sebastian Bennington, 15, has released two emotional videos that he filmed after his father's death.
In the first video, Draven sits in a garden as Linkin Park's "Numb" plays in the background.
“I want to make a commitment that I will talk to someone before I hurt myself when I’m feeling depressed, sad or going through a hard week, month or year," Draven says. "I want to challenge you to do the same: to help yourself, not hurt yourself."
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In the second video, Draven opens up about the experience of losing his father at such a young age — and how he's coping in the aftermath.
"It still doesn’t feel like it actually happened. You always think that maybe he’s on vacation and someone just found someone else," he explains to family therapist Angelica Guajardo. "Maybe he’ll pop back up [like it was a mistake or a bad joke]. It’s hard because sometimes you just sit down, you start thinking about things. I came across old home videos that he had, things like that. It sucks."
Talinda Bennington, who married Chester in 2006 and is the mother of Draven's half-siblings, shared a photo of the singer last week that was taken just days before his death. The picture shows Bennington at the beach with his family, with a wide smile on his face.
"Suicidal thoughts were there, but you’d never know," she captioned the post. Talinda has been vocal on social media, often posting messages of support for people struggling with mental illness and suicidal thoughts.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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