San Diego City College student David Pradel was documenting his school’s basketball team in 2017 to chronicle their season. Little did he know that with the death of sophomore Nate Edwards, mental illness would become the primary focus of the story he was telling.
Pradel was taking photos and videos throughout the year, a successful one at that, with the junior college winning the state championship.
However, Edwards, a father to two young children, took his own life in mid-April of that same year. Described as “vibrant,” no one suspected Edwards was suffering.
“He’s just one of the most vibrant people I’ve ever met,” Steven Aldridge, a former assistant coach at San Diego City, told the San Diego Union Tribune. “You meet a couple of those in your life, I’m learning.
“He filled the room up. Special, man. Special.”
The loss leveled the community, especially those involved with the basketball program, like Pradel, the aspiring journalist who saw Edwards up close and personal through his lens.
“He was so supportive of my video work and photos and all that, and it really touched and impacted me and influenced me to reassure myself that I could do this,” Pradel told FOX 5. “If he was here he would probably message me or tell me, ‘Hey are you going to make a video about the team winning it all?'”
That’s why Pradel pressed on with his documentary to not only highlight the team’s title year on the court, but to encourage others who may be struggling with mental health challenges to seek help.
Pradel even started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Edwards’s sons to go to college.
“Nate was the one who HELPED everyone around him – he CARED about his team, family and made sure others were taken care of first. He always brought out a smile for your day and now it is time to help him,” Pradel wrote.
You can catch Pradel’s documentary here, and assist with fundraising efforts here.
