One of Reece Begg's final acts was to write a letter - here's what he said from beyond the grave

Today, his family is taking the bold step of sharing those words in the hope they may help others in a similar situation.

In the letter, Reece, 28, described how he struggled for 16 years before he was found dead near his Threlfall Road home in South Shore.

READ REECE'S LETTER IN FULL: "I love you with all my heart": Last message of Reece Begg

He wrote: “I just want to tell my story so that hopefully people can understand.

“Understand what it’s like living with mental health issues, constant suicidal thoughts and a borderline personality disorder and why it is I decided to take my own life.

“I also want people to see that they’re not the only ones feeling certain ways. I want them to see that there’s others and it’s not always the people you expect it to be – mental health doesn’t discriminate.”

His parents Allan and Lynn, older brothers Gavin and Daniel, and younger sister Jade hope his message will reach other people suffering from mental illnesses, and encourage them to seek help.

Allan, 61, said: “A young girl came up to me. I didn’t know her that well. She has always been a bubbly person.

“She burst into tears and hugged me and said ‘your son’s just saved my life. I have feelings like that myself’.

“I was nearly in tears myself.”

Jade, 26, said: “We knew he had his moments and his problems, but he was really good at hiding it. He always said he was OK and he would never do anything like that.

“People don’t like asking for help. They don’t like feeling like a burden to anyone.

“We have gone through all sorts of emotions. One minute you’re fine and the next it hits you like waves.

“He said he expressed himself through his music. Towards the end, we checked his Spotify and a lot of his music was quite dark.”

Reece, a former Morrisons employee, was found on July 4 alongside his driving licence and donor card.

In his house, he left a note for the police begging them to take him to hospital so that his organs could be used to save the lives of people in need.

On his computer, he left a message for his family containing his wishes for a fundraiser to be set up to help his parents with funeral costs.

Daniel, 34, said: “Reece was selfless and generous. He never asked for anything, but he’d give to anyone who needed it.

“In his letter he said he was being selfish, but all his last actions were thinking about other people.

“There are people who don’t get letters. But we have got that understanding of how he was feeling. If we hadn’t got that letter, we would have no idea. Now we know the torment he was living in each day.”

Gavin, 37, said: “There was nothing rash about his decision to do what he did.

“None of us knew how bad it was. He was good at putting on a brave face. Even the night before he died he came to the house laughing and joking like he always did.

“Too many guys suffer in silence and are too proud to say anything.

“Schools teach about sex education, so why not mental health? These things can all stem from a little bit of bullying in school.”

Daniel’s wife Danielle, Reece’s sister-in-law, said: “There’s no right way to deal with it. People try to give you kind words but there’s no going back to normality. We have to live like this now. We have been very fortunate with the support we have received.

“My little boy, Jordan, has the same humour as Reece. We spoke to his school and said they might need to keep an eye on him.

“One of the parents came up to me and said that Jordan had said that his uncle had died from a broken heart, but it’s OK because his heart has gone on to help other people. “He’s not here any more, but he’s still helping others.”

Following Reece’s death, his family and well-wishers have raised more than £2,500 for the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.

The fundraiser Reece set up for his parents brought in £2,770, which went towards his funeral at Lytham Crematorium on July 18.

Jade, a restaurant manager, also plans to climb Ben Nevis on Sunday in memory of her brother.

Daniel said: “Just look out for people.

“Anything that people post on social media could be a cry for help. You could be the difference. Don’t leave it to someone else.”

Reece’s inquest will take place at Blackpool Town Hall on November 12 at 11.30am.