Her Son Died by Suicide the Day After Homecoming. Now She Shares His Story with Millions Online

Seventeen-year-old Deegan Walton had a smile that could light up any room. Outgoing, funny and endlessly curious, he shared his mother Lori’s love of cars, racing and anything with an engine.

“He was my little sidekick,” says Lori, 50. “We did everything together — sang in the car, worked on projects. He was so much like me.”

But in the fall of 2023, Lori began noticing subtle changes in her son. Though he still laughed and joked, something beneath the surface seemed different.

It started with a bonfire at a friend’s house — one Deegan hadn’t known about. He wasn’t invited. The following week, he hosted his own get-together, filling the house with laughter and music. Yet Lori sensed something was off when she found him upstairs, alone, while his friends were downstairs.

A few days later, the unease deepened. After Lori and her husband returned from a day on the lake, Deegan asked his mom to come outside. At first, she thought it was one of his usual pranks. But when she saw his face, she knew something was wrong.

“He drove us to the end of the street,” Lori recalls. “I said, ‘Deegan, slow down. What’s happening?’ He turned the car around, put it in park, unbuckled his seatbelt — and I’ll never forget the look on his face. He was broken. He was sobbing and said, ‘I need help. I’m so sad all the time.’ ”

@deegn41s_ma

For more than an hour, they talked — about school, about friends, about how he felt left out. He told Lori that a friend had asked the girl he’d been pursuing to homecoming. “Mom, everyone knew except me,” he said. “They were all making jokes.”

Lori learned that some classmates had stopped including him. “It was simple but cruel,” she says. “He just wanted to belong.”

In the days that followed, Lori kept a close eye on him. Deegan stayed home from school for a bit, then returned, but nothing was the same. He wore earbuds to tune things out and often sat alone at lunch.

Even moments of excitement couldn’t lift him for long. A recent car event had left him elated, but the high didn’t last. On homecoming night, he joined his parents for dinner and a movie instead of going out, then stopped by an after-party before returning home.

When he came back later, he sat quietly in the driveway for a while. Lori texted to check in, and he replied that he was fine. Eventually, he came inside, said goodnight, and went to bed — like any ordinary nigh

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #thedeeganproject #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #mentalhealthmatters #depression #dadsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #kid #parentsoftiktok #parents #sad ♬ original sound – Whitney Hanson

The next morning, Oct. 1, 2023, Deegan was supposed to join his family at Lake St. Clair. Lori peeked in on him before they left. He was awake, joking and laughing — seemingly himself.

“He said he had a stats exam to study for, and his books were spread out on the counter,” Lori recalls. “There was no reason to think anything was wrong.”

But later that morning, Deegan died by suicide. He had crashed his car into an oak tree 2.7 miles from their home.

In an instant, the ordinary rhythms of their lives — laughter, errands, the hum of home — were shattered.

“The world just stopped,” Lori says. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

In the days that followed, the grief was unbearable — and the stigma came immediately. The very next day, people began asking what the family was going to tell others. Still, Lori and her husband made a difficult choice: they wouldn’t hide the truth.

“Keeping quiet would only add to the silence,” she says. “We wanted people to know they’re not alone.”

Knowing they wanted to help other kids in their community, the couple started small — by bringing a mental health speaker to Deegan’s school. “We did a lot of research to find someone who would really connect with high school students,” Lori recalls. “That was much harder than you might think.”

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #mentalhealth #thedeeganproject ♬ original sound – spotify.lyrics

A few months later, with encouragement from her older son, Christopher, and his girlfriend, Olivia, Lori shared Deegan’s story on TikTok and Instagram, hoping to reach teens who might be struggling in silence.

The experience made her realize how many teens were quietly struggling. “My husband and I said, if we can reach just one person who’s feeling like Deegan did — and it changes their mind — then it’s worth it,” she says. “And then it just exploded. The response was overwhelming.”

@deegn41s_ma Replying to @Carl Whitenack #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #thedeeganproject #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters ♬ Unstoppable – Sia

Within months, thousands began following their accounts, sharing how Deegan’s story had changed the way they saw mental health and loss. One video, simply captioned “The boy who was fine,” showing old photos of Deegan, reached nearly a million people.

Lori still remembers one message vividly — a teen who said they had planned to end their life that day but came across her TikTok instead. “They told me they chose to talk to their parents,” she says.

“Those stories stick with me,” Lori adds. “When people ask what I hope Deegan’s legacy is, it’s that people keep choosing to stay because they’ve heard his story.”

The outpouring of messages gave her and her husband a new sense of purpose. One day, he turned to her and asked, “Do you want to really do this? Like a nonprofit?”

From that determination, The Deegan Project, a Michigan-registered nonprofit, was born.

What began as a hope to connect with teens has grown into an organization that provides scholarships for students entering the trades and mental health fields, hosts inclusive events like Cars and Coffee, and partners with local schools to offer free or sliding-scale mental health services.

“We want to provide a safe space — somewhere they can go and know they’re not alone,” Lori explains. “Deegan’s story drives everything we do. It’s why we keep going.”

Her long-term goal is to eventually expand nationwide. “If a kid is brave enough to ask for help, there should be no reason they can’t get it,” she says. “That’s what we’re working toward — making sure those resources are there when they need them.”

Lori herself returned to school for a mental health certification as a nurse practitioner, providing counseling and medication management to those in need.

“When I speak to a group, I never just come out and say what happened,” Lori says. “I always talk about Deegan first because I want people to have a picture of him — this happy, funny, caring kid who was always laughing and joking, who played sports, had tons of friends and a cool car.”

She pauses. “None of those things fit the stereotype people have of depression. That’s why I share his story — because it can happen to anyone.”

In the time since Deegan’s passing, Lori says the support from their community has meant everything.

“Some of the parents of Deegan’s friends — people we didn’t even know that well before — have really been there for us,” she says. “Anything we’ve needed, they’ve shown up without hesitation. Whether it’s helping with The Deegan Project or just getting together for dinner, they’ve made it easy for us to reach out.”

She adds that their small Michigan town has also rallied around them. “We’ve leaned on our family, our friends and our community in so many ways,” Lori says. “Anything we’ve tried to do, people have been supportive. We’re really grateful for that.”

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #mentalhealth #thedeeganproject ♬ someday i’ll get it – Alek Olsen

Even amidst the work, Lori allows herself moments to grieve. When she misses Deegan most, she lets herself cry.

“From day one, people said, ‘You carry yourself with such grace,’ or ‘You’re so strong.’ I don’t know if that’s true — I just don’t have a choice. I still have to put one foot in front of the other every day. But when I really miss him, I don’t try to be strong. I just let myself feel.”

And in those moments, she thinks of him — of his humor, his light, the way he could always make her laugh. “The other day, I told my husband I was having a really hard time. I was crying, and I said, ‘If Deegan were here, he’d do something silly — tell a joke or make a face — just to make me laugh.’ ”

She smiles softly. “I just hope that if he’s up there looking down, he thinks, ‘That’s my mom. She’s doing cool things.’ More than anything, I just hope he’s proud of me.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

Seventeen-year-old Deegan Walton had a smile that could light up any room. Outgoing, funny and endlessly curious, he shared his mother Lori’s love of cars, racing and anything with an engine.

“He was my little sidekick,” says Lori, 50. “We did everything together — sang in the car, worked on projects. He was so much like me.”

But in the fall of 2023, Lori began noticing subtle changes in her son. Though he still laughed and joked, something beneath the surface seemed different.

It started with a bonfire at a friend’s house — one Deegan hadn’t known about. He wasn’t invited. The following week, he hosted his own get-together, filling the house with laughter and music. Yet Lori sensed something was off when she found him upstairs, alone, while his friends were downstairs.

A few days later, the unease deepened. After Lori and her husband returned from a day on the lake, Deegan asked his mom to come outside. At first, she thought it was one of his usual pranks. But when she saw his face, she knew something was wrong.

“He drove us to the end of the street,” Lori recalls. “I said, ‘Deegan, slow down. What’s happening?’ He turned the car around, put it in park, unbuckled his seatbelt — and I’ll never forget the look on his face. He was broken. He was sobbing and said, ‘I need help. I’m so sad all the time.’ ”

@deegn41s_ma

For more than an hour, they talked — about school, about friends, about how he felt left out. He told Lori that a friend had asked the girl he’d been pursuing to homecoming. “Mom, everyone knew except me,” he said. “They were all making jokes.”

Lori learned that some classmates had stopped including him. “It was simple but cruel,” she says. “He just wanted to belong.”

In the days that followed, Lori kept a close eye on him. Deegan stayed home from school for a bit, then returned, but nothing was the same. He wore earbuds to tune things out and often sat alone at lunch.

Even moments of excitement couldn’t lift him for long. A recent car event had left him elated, but the high didn’t last. On homecoming night, he joined his parents for dinner and a movie instead of going out, then stopped by an after-party before returning home.

When he came back later, he sat quietly in the driveway for a while. Lori texted to check in, and he replied that he was fine. Eventually, he came inside, said goodnight, and went to bed — like any ordinary nigh

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #thedeeganproject #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #mentalhealthmatters #depression #dadsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #kid #parentsoftiktok #parents #sad ♬ original sound – Whitney Hanson

The next morning, Oct. 1, 2023, Deegan was supposed to join his family at Lake St. Clair. Lori peeked in on him before they left. He was awake, joking and laughing — seemingly himself.

“He said he had a stats exam to study for, and his books were spread out on the counter,” Lori recalls. “There was no reason to think anything was wrong.”

But later that morning, Deegan died by suicide. He had crashed his car into an oak tree 2.7 miles from their home.

In an instant, the ordinary rhythms of their lives — laughter, errands, the hum of home — were shattered.

“The world just stopped,” Lori says. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

In the days that followed, the grief was unbearable — and the stigma came immediately. The very next day, people began asking what the family was going to tell others. Still, Lori and her husband made a difficult choice: they wouldn’t hide the truth.

“Keeping quiet would only add to the silence,” she says. “We wanted people to know they’re not alone.”

Knowing they wanted to help other kids in their community, the couple started small — by bringing a mental health speaker to Deegan’s school. “We did a lot of research to find someone who would really connect with high school students,” Lori recalls. “That was much harder than you might think.”

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #mentalhealth #thedeeganproject ♬ original sound – spotify.lyrics

A few months later, with encouragement from her older son, Christopher, and his girlfriend, Olivia, Lori shared Deegan’s story on TikTok and Instagram, hoping to reach teens who might be struggling in silence.

The experience made her realize how many teens were quietly struggling. “My husband and I said, if we can reach just one person who’s feeling like Deegan did — and it changes their mind — then it’s worth it,” she says. “And then it just exploded. The response was overwhelming.”

@deegn41s_ma Replying to @Carl Whitenack #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #thedeeganproject #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters ♬ Unstoppable – Sia

Within months, thousands began following their accounts, sharing how Deegan’s story had changed the way they saw mental health and loss. One video, simply captioned “The boy who was fine,” showing old photos of Deegan, reached nearly a million people.

Lori still remembers one message vividly — a teen who said they had planned to end their life that day but came across her TikTok instead. “They told me they chose to talk to their parents,” she says.

“Those stories stick with me,” Lori adds. “When people ask what I hope Deegan’s legacy is, it’s that people keep choosing to stay because they’ve heard his story.”

The outpouring of messages gave her and her husband a new sense of purpose. One day, he turned to her and asked, “Do you want to really do this? Like a nonprofit?”

From that determination, The Deegan Project, a Michigan-registered nonprofit, was born.

What began as a hope to connect with teens has grown into an organization that provides scholarships for students entering the trades and mental health fields, hosts inclusive events like Cars and Coffee, and partners with local schools to offer free or sliding-scale mental health services.

“We want to provide a safe space — somewhere they can go and know they’re not alone,” Lori explains. “Deegan’s story drives everything we do. It’s why we keep going.”

Her long-term goal is to eventually expand nationwide. “If a kid is brave enough to ask for help, there should be no reason they can’t get it,” she says. “That’s what we’re working toward — making sure those resources are there when they need them.”

Lori herself returned to school for a mental health certification as a nurse practitioner, providing counseling and medication management to those in need.

“When I speak to a group, I never just come out and say what happened,” Lori says. “I always talk about Deegan first because I want people to have a picture of him — this happy, funny, caring kid who was always laughing and joking, who played sports, had tons of friends and a cool car.”

She pauses. “None of those things fit the stereotype people have of depression. That’s why I share his story — because it can happen to anyone.”

In the time since Deegan’s passing, Lori says the support from their community has meant everything.

“Some of the parents of Deegan’s friends — people we didn’t even know that well before — have really been there for us,” she says. “Anything we’ve needed, they’ve shown up without hesitation. Whether it’s helping with The Deegan Project or just getting together for dinner, they’ve made it easy for us to reach out.”

She adds that their small Michigan town has also rallied around them. “We’ve leaned on our family, our friends and our community in so many ways,” Lori says. “Anything we’ve tried to do, people have been supportive. We’re really grateful for that.”

@deegn41s_ma #alwaysridingwithdeeganwalton #mentalhealth #thedeeganproject ♬ someday i’ll get it – Alek Olsen

Even amidst the work, Lori allows herself moments to grieve. When she misses Deegan most, she lets herself cry.

“From day one, people said, ‘You carry yourself with such grace,’ or ‘You’re so strong.’ I don’t know if that’s true — I just don’t have a choice. I still have to put one foot in front of the other every day. But when I really miss him, I don’t try to be strong. I just let myself feel.”

And in those moments, she thinks of him — of his humor, his light, the way he could always make her laugh. “The other day, I told my husband I was having a really hard time. I was crying, and I said, ‘If Deegan were here, he’d do something silly — tell a joke or make a face — just to make me laugh.’ ”

She smiles softly. “I just hope that if he’s up there looking down, he thinks, ‘That’s my mom. She’s doing cool things.’ More than anything, I just hope he’s proud of me.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.