A grieving mother has revealed what losing her teenage son taught her about life and how she is keeping his memory alive. Nathan Slater, from Wallasey, was 18 when he took his own life on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
His mum, Lisa Slater, 41, said his death came as a “total shock” and that she had no idea he had been struggling with his mental health. Months earlier, Nathan had spoken of plans for the future and hoped to have a family of his own one day.
He was an amazing, popular, funny boy
On the day he died, Nathan phoned a friend at 1am saying “sorry, you're a good friend”. The worried friend went to his home the next day to check on him but got no response. The family had to break his bedroom door down, only to find Nathan had taken his own life.
Lisa previously paid tribute to her “funny, kind and caring” son. She described how Nathan taught himself to play the guitar after asking for one at Christmas, and could play any song. She took him to his first Creamfields in 2024, where he was in awe of the DJs, and he later bought a set of decks and began making his own mixes.
“We had the best time and we were really looking forward to going together again. I just can't believe he's gone, he's going to leave a massive hole in everyone's lives,” Lisa said.
He always had the biggest smile on his face, she added. He had just started boxing training and was planning to take part in a charity boxing match in memory of his father, who died of cancer.
None of us saw this coming
“None of us saw this coming. We had no clue at all that he had been suffering with his mental health. It was a total shock for us all. It's just unbelievable. He was making so many plans,” Lisa said.
Since Nathan's death, Lisa has tried to carry on as normal for the sake of her six other children. “The only plus is that Nathan's death brought us all closer together,” she said. “We've realised how short life is and make the most of holidays, concerts and doing things together. We try to make the most of our time.”
Honouring Nathan's memory
Lisa has also spoken about how hard it has been. “I've surprised myself at how strong I've been, but it's been hard keeping it together. I have moments when everything goes quiet, after a long day at work, where it'll catch up with me,” she said. “For the first few months I didn't know how I was going to get through the day, never mind a week, or a month, then the days turned into years.”
To honour her son, Lisa travelled to Amsterdam last year for his birthday, a trip they had planned together. She also attended Creamfields in his memory, and with the 2026 festival approaching she is sharing Nathan's story to get people talking about men's mental health.
Lisa urged anyone who might be suffering to speak out. “Men just don't talk enough. I want to urge people to talk if they are feeling any certain way. I can't stress enough if anyone is having these thoughts to please talk to somebody,” she said.
She is also calling for more mental health services to be put in place in Wallasey. “Grief is life-changing, I hope by sharing Nathan's story we can help even just one family,” she added.
