Buddy Check for Jesse sparks mental health talk in locker rooms across B.C. sports

After losing his son Jesse to suicide at age 22, a Victoria dad began speaking to his hockey team about mental health.

Those locker room conversations have since expanded into a multi-sport program that has now reached over 18,000 young athletes across Canada and have become the subject of a film that captures how coaches, parents and athletes alike are finding ways to break the silence.

The TELUS-funded feature Buddy Check for Jesse features the journey of Dr. Stu Gershman who chose to speak up and helped spark a national conversation about mental health in youth sports in the wake of the 2014 tragedy.

"He’s an inspiration," stated Robyn Vandersteen, who helped bring the program to Manitoba "Stu took the loss of his son, turned his grief into a passion to honour him and to perhaps help