The Semicolon Between Loss and Legacy.
Chad's Story
Chad’s story didn’t end—it became the spark for a nationwide movement to transform mental health care.
Chad was an artist, a dreamer, a scientist, a beloved son and brother. Gifted with a vivid imagination and deep curiosity, he dreamed of building spacecraft for NASA and exploring the edges of the universe. But even as his talents blossomed, Chad faced an invisible struggle with schizophrenia. Like so many others, Chad struggled not just with the illness itself, but with a system that made continuity of care—and hope—difficult to hold onto.
Ending the Stigma
Turning a moment into a movement.
Chad’s mind was extraordinary. As a child, he filled notebooks with spacecraft designs and theories about black holes. As a young man, he was a brilliant thinker who’d hoped to change the world. But mental illness intervened, and at 21, overwhelmed by his struggle, Chad died by suicide.
In their moment of loss, Chad’s parents, Todd and Laura Crooks, chose not to turn away; they created Chad’s Legacy Project to honor his life by challenging the silence, stigma, and systemic failures surrounding mental health.
Pause with Purpose; Proceed with Hope.
Where silence ends; understanding begins.
Chad’s story is one of deep curiosity, creative brilliance, and quiet struggle. It is also the story of a young person living with mental illness and confronting a fractured system that too often responds to suffering with silence and stigma. In this short film, Shellie Hart shares Chad’s journey and the urgent call to end that silence. We invite you to pause, reflect on Chad’s story, and move forward with us—toward change, connection, lasting impact, and hope.
Help us write what comes next.
Turning grief into a powerful call-to-action.
Grief lit the spark, but it’s your donation that keeps the mission moving forward. With your help, we can connect more people to the hope and help they deserve — and ensure Chad’s story continues as one of impact and purpose.
