The 132 Story

132 Fab was born from a product that was intended to be for personal use only. That product quickly gained interest on Facebook so I sold a few to folks. Soon I realized a website to make it easier for people to order from would be mutually beneficial for myself and the customers. Of course a site needs a name and every small business owner has gone through the challenge of what to call my “side hustle”. I wanted the name to mean something, share a message, use any attention the business might get as a platform for good. I met a lifelong friend Tim in church back in Elementary school, we went to middle school together, high school, even college together. Freshman year of college Tim lived in the adjoining dorm room to myself and another friend from high school and we spent much time together binge watching tv, shooting pool, late night taco bell runs. Tim always brought a smile to everyone's face and I never saw him without a smile on his own. Sophomore year Tim actually took the year off to work on a business venture he was very passionate about. The details are above my realm of knowledge but Tim wanted to start a tech company that he had faith could be very profitable. The detail that I did understand and makes me the most proud of the life Tim did live is that from day 1 he desired to be a great philanthropist. His goal was for this Tech startup to fund a non-profit for the underprivileged.

February 25th 2021 I lost a dear friend to suicide. Tim lost his battle a mere few months before graduation. He was 22 years old. I have no doubt he would have gone on to complete a master and maybe even a doctorate. He was the smartest person I knew. We were all taken by surprise at the news of this great tragedy. As stated before he was one of the happiest people you’d ever met. But we don’t know what demons folks are fighting when no one is looking. 132 Americans lose their fight every single day. On February 25th 2021 Tim was one of them. I think it’s a little selfish to talk about how much those of us left to mourn him have hurt since he’s been gone. I’d rather hurt for him knowing he was suffering for so long on his own. I wish he would have text or called or knocked on my door at 2am and said “I need to talk”, “I need a friend”, “I don’t want to be alone right now” but not for my sake, for his. I hope that the name 132 Fab helps us remember those close to us who may be struggling with their mental health. The 132 Americans everyday that lose the fight. The friends and families affected. If you’re fighting, reach out, you're not a burden. If you’re concerned for a loved one, reach out, you may not get the chance to one day.

Mental Health Resources

Emergency: 911 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Crisis Text Line: Text "DESERVE" TO 741-741 Lifeline Crisis Chat (Online live messaging): https://988lifeline.org/chat Self-Harm Hotline: 1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288) Essential local and community services: 211, https://www.211.org/ Planned Parenthood Hotline: 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) American Association of Poison Control Centers: 1-800-222-1222 National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency Hope Line: 1-800-622-2255 National Crisis Line - Anorexia and Bulimia: 1-800-233-4357 LGBT Hotline: 1-888-843-4564 TREVOR Crisis Hotline: 1-866-488-7386 AIDS Crisis Line: 1-800-221-7044 Veterans Crisis Line: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net TransLifeline: https://www.translifeline.org - 877-565-8860