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Meet Nick! A caring & giving man loved by family and friends yet struggled in silence.

Turning Heartbreak Into Hope

If you had the privilege of meeting my son, Nick Acevedo, before March 4, 2018, you were truly blessed. That was the day he chose to leave this world. Nick was gifted, funny, empathetic, and talented. His decision to end his life left a profound void—not just for me and my family, but for everyone whose life he touched. Even in his absence, we are constantly reminded of the love and light he brought to those around him.

Six years ago, when I first wrote this letter, I was deeply focused on protecting Nick’s memory. I wanted people to truly see him, to understand his heart, and to recognize the challenges he faced and how he persevered through them, even when things were tough. Over time, with the perspective that comes from processing grief, I’ve updated this letter to reflect where I am today. The truth is, we may never fully understand why Nick made the choice he did. What I do know with absolute certainty is that Nick was deeply loved—by me, his mom, his sister, and everyone who knew him. And if he had reached out for help, we would have been there for him without hesitation. That reality remains as heartbreaking as it is undeniable.

The pictures of Nick on this website tell his story—they capture the cool, joyful, and vibrant person he was. He lived his life with passion and an infectious energy. When you look at these images, it’s hard to imagine that someone like Nick—who seemed to have so much to live for—could make such a tragic choice. That thought weighs on me constantly. If someone like Nick could be lost to suicide, how many other young people might be at risk? It’s a question I grapple with daily, often finding myself burdened with the painful “what ifs” of what I could have done differently.

This website and the charity events we organize are my way of honoring Nick’s life and ensuring that other families never have to endure the same heartbreak that ours has. These efforts are dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, and creating an understanding around the realities of depression and suicide, in the hope that more lives can be saved.

Much of what we do through these events is aimed at supporting organizations that provide the resources, guidance, and tools young adults need to navigate the challenges life throws their way. My hope is that these initiatives will spare other families the pain mine continues to endure. And while I often wonder if these efforts are, in part, a way for me to manage my own grief, I also believe that turning this tragedy into something meaningful helps create purpose in the midst of loss. It is a way to honor Nick’s memory and transform this pain into a positive force for change—helping others who are struggling.

I’ve learned how difficult it is to talk about suicide openly, especially with the stigma and misunderstandings that surround it. Since Nick’s passing, I’ve encountered many assumptions and misconceptions about who he was and why this happened. Some have tried to simplify a complex reality. But the truth is much more intricate. Despite the confusion and pain, my focus remains on the devastating impact suicide has on those left behind. Nick’s death shattered my world, and as a father, I find no words sufficient to describe the depth of that loss.

Every day, I think about the future Nick will never have—the life he could have lived, the family he might have had, and the experiences we should have shared. But while I can’t change what happened, I can work to bring attention to the realities of depression and suicide. My goal now is to help other families avoid the unimaginable grief that we’ve endured.

Through these charity events and initiatives, my hope is to shine a light on mental health struggles and encourage open, honest conversations that could save lives. This journey isn’t easy, but it’s one I feel called to walk—for Nick, for myself, and for all those silently battling similar challenges.

This mission isn’t just about my son. It’s about ensuring no other family has to experience the kind of loss that we have. My path since losing Nick has been one of learning, healing, and finding purpose in the midst of profound sorrow. By sharing my experience, I hope to inspire others to reach out, seek help, or offer support to someone in need.

As I reflect on this journey, I’m reminded of words from *Season of Life* by Jeffrey Marx, a book Nick and I used to read together:

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;

None goes his way alone;

All that we send into the lives of others

Comes back into our own.

This is why I am doing this—honoring Nick’s memory and working to prevent more lives from being lost to suicide.

Sincerely,
Steve Acevedo
Nick’s Dad
Living to Love Another Day

Our Purpose: Stopping Suicide!

Living to Love Another Day (The Nicholas H. Guy Acevedo Memorial Trust Fund) is a community initiative organization fiscally sponsored through OneOC a 501c3,509a1 a non-profit organization, was formed to promote awareness and education of mental health and wellness for young people. Nick’s organization Living to Love Another Day’s mission is to educate, advocate, and remove the stigma associated with mental illness, while funding programs that provide students and under-25 kids with the tools and resources that support their mental health.

Living to Love Another Day supports the following organizations:

                                                                                                           

Active Minds the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students. They are dedicated to saving lives and to building stronger families and communities.Education, research, advocacy, and a focus on students and young adults ages 14–25, Active Minds is opening up the conversation about mental health and creating lasting change in the way mental health is talked about, cared for, and valued in the United States.

CHOC Mental Health Resource Centers – Specifically WellSpaces are open on middle and high school campuses throughout the county. These unique spaces are designed to provide students navigating an increasingly fast-paced world with a dedicated place to practice social-emotional learning skills. The spaces feature biophilic designs with a home-like feel to provide a space of calm, punctuated by mindfulness activities such as journaling, aromatherapy, beads and other crafts. Students learn breathing exercises and other techniques to help them build resilience and self-regulation skills so they may gain a better sense of control and return to learning.

Fristers, founded and operated on Christian principles, is dedicated to helping teen parents build healthy and stable lives and families through educational classes and workshops, mentoring, case management, and the support of a caring community.

Pregnant and parenting teens are a vulnerable population. Fristers provides a community of support focused on improving teen parents’ mental health and well-being. Services include resources to complete education, life skills, healthy parent training and workforce readiness support.

 The mission of Orangewood Foundation is to prepare foster and community youth to reach their greatest potential. Founded in 1981, the foundation is one of the leading providers of services to these teens and young adults. Foundation programs focus on four critical areas: health & wellness, housing, life skills & employment, and education. Annually Orangewood serves over 2,000 youth. Beyond its programs, for thousands of youth in our community Orangewood means “family”, “opportunity” and hope.

LTLAD supports Nick’s Alma Mater, Santa Margarita Catholic High School Wellness Program. The Wellness program provides a range of resources and referrals to support students’ mental health well-being and their families in meeting the challenges of adolescence through prevention, early intervention, and education.                                                                                                                                                                                           

The USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society is a joint collabora
tion between the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.  The center works with communities, service providers, policymakers, and other key persons on projects such as suicide prevention among homeless young adults, college students, and active duty military members.  Specifically, they are in the process of designing a study to build upon gatekeeper training, which is traditionally used for suicide prevention among college students.  The goal is to use AI to determine who within a real world social network of college students should be selected for gatekeeper training.  The algorithm would suggest individuals who are strategically positioned within a social network so that ideally each student is connected to someone who is trained and can refer him/her to resources.

Important statistics you may not know…

3X

The suicide rate among young adults, ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950’s.

1,100

Number of suicides that occur at colleges every year – that’s roughly 7.5 per 100,000 students.

12

People aged 15-24 will commit suicide today… that’s about one every two hours.

6%

of undergrads and 4% of graduate students in 4-year colleges have “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year—and nearly half of each group did not tell anyone.

1 in 12

number of college students who have actually made a suicide plan at some point 1.5: number of college students out of every 100 who have actually attempted it.

2X

as many young men, ages 20-24, commit suicide, compared with young women. In the past 50 years, the suicide rate for those age 15-24 increased by over 200%.

News & Events

Please see our upcoming events and news related to youth suicide prevention.

Nicholas H. Guy Acevedo Memorial Golf Tournament – See you on November 1, 2024! – Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club

Messages from Nick’s Dad, Steve…

A few words from Nick’s friends & family…

I was Nick’s roommate at University Heights in Flagstaff,  I wanted to let you know how great Nick was.  There were lots of times where me and Nick would talk about what was going on with how we felt and how we could deal with it. Often, it felt like the only person I could talk to was Nick. He was extremely caring!  I owe a lot to him and often wish I could have helped him how he helped me.

Nick was one of my first friends at NAU and always made me feel special. Nick was the friend that made me feel like I was awesome and helped me to feel confident (like him).

Nick and I grew close over the course of college, and I was lucky to live with him for almost 2 full years in a house that we came to love. During that time, I learned from him constantly. Nick was extremely outgoing and respectfully independent at the same time, amazing qualities that not many individuals can balance. He taught me a lot, but I’ll never forget his selflessness when it came to his friends. He truly cared about us and this showed every day, in every conversation. Nobody listens like he did. And of the many things I’ll carry with me about Nick, it’s remembering to listen.

I’ve been friends with Nick since elementary school and most of my childhood memories involve him. Whether we were playing flag-football in middle school, attending a high school dance or home for Christmas break during college I was always excited to see him. Nick was easily one of the funniest and most interesting people I’ve ever known and I’m sad we won’t share any more life experiences. Fight on, Nick!

Nick and I became really good friends during our freshman year of high school. He instantly became one of my most trustworthy friends that I had. In any situation, Nick always had the attitude of “I got your back.” Whether it be trying to get out of a detention or talking to girls at the bar, Nick always had my back. He really instilled the lesson that we must always be there for one another in any situation, and I will forever be grateful to him!

I am forever a lucky girl for getting to be friends with such an amazing guy, i miss your wild dance moves, goofy personality, and smile every single day.

Here is a list of things you can do today:

Listen

Sometimes the quietest sounds are the most important.

Be Kind

Kindness is free and is one of the most undervalued gifts you can give.

Offer Support

Hopelessness isn’t an emotion all of us understand. Offering support can bridge this gap even if the help isn’t taken.

Be Vulnerable

Depression and Mental Health is easier to talk about when we understand that we’re not alone. Sharing your story helps others.

Share the Love

Help us spread the word. Talking about Depression and Mental health can break down stigmas which helps everyone. Visit and share our page on Facebook.

Donate to Our Cause

If we can help just one individual in trouble, a person who is feeling helpless get through the pain, it will be all worthwhile.

Leave a Message for Nick & his Family

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