Supporting Funeral, Burial, & Counseling Expenses
On August 25th 2021, the Aguiar family, many beloved friends, and all those lucky enough to meet Austin Vince Aguiar lost a great source of love and light in the world. Throughout his 24 years of life, he impacted everyone he encountered with his irresistible charm, kind heart, and a smile that could illuminate the night sky.
Austin was a great son to our parents Vicente and Yohale; he worked tirelessly to reciprocate the sacrifices they made and give us a life full of beautiful memories and opportunities. Austin was the hard worker that our mom and dad raised to create anything he could possibly imagine. His hands, his creativity, and his beautiful mind made him the perfect craftsman. He was so proud to be working in the family business alongside our parents and simultaneously blazing a path for new opportunities for him and the whole family.
Austin was the best brother, my “Day 1,” as I always called him. I will always be his “little sis,” and remember him for the countless times he looked out for me, taught me something valuable, and lent his shoulders to lean on. It feels like yesterday when Austin and I found a baby bird who fell from a tree in our backyard; he tried his hardest to save its life and nurse it back to health, holding it in his hands and whispering whatever comfort he could. That’s the brother I love so much and want to remember for the rest of my life.
It is with a heavy heart that I write, Austin lost his battle to depression and took his own life. Recently, he struggled to understand how loved he was and how many people cared deeply for him. Austin wanted so badly to be the true definition of an independent man, find success in his endeavors, and make his family proud. We all believed in him and encouraged him to chase his wildest dreams. The societal pressure of peers, social media, and today’s unrealistic standards weighed on him so heavily, pushing him to a constant state of stress, and an unwarranted fear of not meeting these standards quickly enough for him to feel accomplished. As his struggles and pressures grew more apparent, my family and I worked day in and day out trying to get him help. We believe that he could not understand the extent of his own suffering. Despite all the long talks with friends, family, and healthcare professionals and pleads for him to accept help, mental health is a silent killer.
As we try to comprehend this tragedy, we ask for your support. We know these past 2 years have been extremely difficult for everyone and we have not been spared from the insurmountable challenges that families across the world are currently facing.
We’re so sorry to the victims and survivors of suicide and other tragedies brought on by mental health challenges. These problems are occurring across the world and are a byproduct of our changing society, influences of social media, failing healthcare systems, and a lack of education and awareness. After this devastating experience in our life, we now better comprehend how overwhelmingly widespread this issue is. Mental health is so important and the system to help those in need HAS to change. We NEED to do better. Not only for the sake of my brother, Austin; not only for the sake of our broken family who will forever be missing our guiding light; but for the sake of all those suffering who still have a chance.
Thank you for your support and love, we appreciate any and every donation with our whole hearts.
