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Uriarte and Wilson family, friends and acquaintances, this has taken me some time to write. To write this means to accept the reality of the indescribable loss of my brother.
Last week, my brother tragically overdosed in response to the overwhelming pain he felt. It was too much for him to bear. No one should have to battle depression and mental illness in isolation. It breaks my heart and my family’s knowing that, behind closed doors, he was suffering. We would do anything to go back in time and help him. He will truly be missed.
His death, however, is not an isolated incident. Since the pandemic, more young people have died from suicide than from covid. Death by suicide is up thirty-five percent, which is a 5.6% increase since 2020. The rate, unfortunately, has been steadily increasing since 2007. I say this not for shock value or for sympathy. I share this information to spread awareness on the seriousness of this issue.
No one should suffer in silence. Donate if you can, but this is more about stopping the stigma of depression and mental illness by starting the conversation with your loved ones no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Choose to listen to one another, with compassion and without judgement, and be willing to seek out support for yourself and others. We all need someone to lean on. Everyone who is reading this can help inspire more kindness and love in the world.
To honor my brother's life and memory, my family has set up a fundraiser to support a mental health services nonprofit and an arts program for youth in underserved communities.
My brother created beautiful works of music in every genre. He was a brilliant guitarist, singer/songwriter, and musical producer. Since he was a child, he had developed an interest in music back when MTV still played music videos and you could easily make your own mixtapes through lime wire. Music became an outlet for him to express himself creatively and tell the story of his emotions through his songs. Words that he wasn’t comfortable to speak aloud or that he didn’t know how to articulate verbally, he put them in his music. It breaks my heart knowing that he had left so much unfinished music. However, it brings my family comfort knowing we can still hear his voice and feel his spirit in all the songs he left behind.
We believe that visual arts, music, and the mentorship received in programs such as this one can support youth like my brother who needed spaces to create. You can view the nonprofit we are donating to here, https://www.heartofla.org. We chose a local nonprofit based out of California because my brother loved California, and we believe he had the best memories in this state. We also reviewed the percentage that goes to administrative funds and program costs on charity navigator and found them to be the most impactful out of all the nonprofits we researched. (I'm waiting for my Dad to give me the name of the mental health organization we'd like us to split the donations between but I will list it shortly.)
Please consider donating whatever amount big or small in my brother's memory. We are so grateful for every donation during this difficult time.
With love,
The Uriarte family.
Last week, my brother tragically overdosed in response to the overwhelming pain he felt. It was too much for him to bear. No one should have to battle depression and mental illness in isolation. It breaks my heart and my family’s knowing that, behind closed doors, he was suffering. We would do anything to go back in time and help him. He will truly be missed.
His death, however, is not an isolated incident. Since the pandemic, more young people have died from suicide than from covid. Death by suicide is up thirty-five percent, which is a 5.6% increase since 2020. The rate, unfortunately, has been steadily increasing since 2007. I say this not for shock value or for sympathy. I share this information to spread awareness on the seriousness of this issue.
No one should suffer in silence. Donate if you can, but this is more about stopping the stigma of depression and mental illness by starting the conversation with your loved ones no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Choose to listen to one another, with compassion and without judgement, and be willing to seek out support for yourself and others. We all need someone to lean on. Everyone who is reading this can help inspire more kindness and love in the world.
To honor my brother's life and memory, my family has set up a fundraiser to support a mental health services nonprofit and an arts program for youth in underserved communities.
My brother created beautiful works of music in every genre. He was a brilliant guitarist, singer/songwriter, and musical producer. Since he was a child, he had developed an interest in music back when MTV still played music videos and you could easily make your own mixtapes through lime wire. Music became an outlet for him to express himself creatively and tell the story of his emotions through his songs. Words that he wasn’t comfortable to speak aloud or that he didn’t know how to articulate verbally, he put them in his music. It breaks my heart knowing that he had left so much unfinished music. However, it brings my family comfort knowing we can still hear his voice and feel his spirit in all the songs he left behind.
We believe that visual arts, music, and the mentorship received in programs such as this one can support youth like my brother who needed spaces to create. You can view the nonprofit we are donating to here, https://www.heartofla.org. We chose a local nonprofit based out of California because my brother loved California, and we believe he had the best memories in this state. We also reviewed the percentage that goes to administrative funds and program costs on charity navigator and found them to be the most impactful out of all the nonprofits we researched. (I'm waiting for my Dad to give me the name of the mental health organization we'd like us to split the donations between but I will list it shortly.)
Please consider donating whatever amount big or small in my brother's memory. We are so grateful for every donation during this difficult time.
With love,
The Uriarte family.