What is SeaqHelp?

On June 21st, 2018 I along with many others received the following communication.

You know those moments like 9/11 that are so utterly earth-shattering that you remember every single aspect of them? The location, what you were wearing, who was around, what you were thinking. To this day, I can remember everything. But most of all I can remember how numb I felt. I had a subtle feeling of anguish but most of all I felt as though I didn’t do enough. I felt the pain of contemplating thousands of what if scenarios over and over again in my head. And most importantly, I felt the pain of knowing that this could have been prevented.

My friend David had passed away due to an overdose of heroin mixed with fentanyl. He had been dealing with what I can only imagine felt like a cancer for quite some time. He was fighting for his life everyday. All the while, working hard and trying to enjoy life the way that a 26 year old should.

But here’s the kicker. He wasn’t a “junkie.” He wasn’t uneducated. He wasn’t unloved. He wasn’t someone who didn’t care about life.

He was the opposite. He graduated from college. He loved (and was/is loved) more than most. And to this day I can’t picture him without a grin on his face. He’s cheesing right now where ever he is.

His loved ones lost not only a dear friend and family member, but a staple of our community. You know how you can’t go to Philadelphia without getting a Cheesesteak? Well, you can’t truly know Columbus without knowing David Seaquist. He became such a household name that eventually we all kind of decided that he didn’t really need the David anymore. His friends just referred to him quite simply as, “Seaq.”

Seaq loved Lil Wayne, animals, and most of all - people. Loving uncle, brother, son, and friend - Seaq lives on through all of us.

Through SeaqHelp, we are aiming to reduce the stigma around addiction and mental health challenges while providing useful resources and funding to the organizations and people that need them most.

THE CATALYST

For my 27th birthday, I requested that donations be made on Facebook to Maryhaven in an effort help support their ongoing efforts around mental health and addiction services. I wanted to try to help people dealing with similar issues as Seaq. It generated almost $2,000 in just 72 hours. A small dent, maybe. But this proved something to me.

It proved that we’re not powerless against this plague. It proved that we can do something if we come together as one. It proved that if we’re open and honest with one another, we can take on whatever the hell life throws our way.

It proved that if you seaq help, maybe you’ll get it.