For years, Luis Vasquez couldn’t talk about his brother. He had been on a plane going to see his brother Andres and was scrolling through social media when he suddenly read that he had died. He had died at age 23 from a rare sarcoma cancer.
Luis — who was just 18 and more than 1,000 miles away when it happened in 2016 — buried his grief so deep that he was unable to talk about it. It was only last year that Luis, now 28, finally began to open up. ‘Talking is part of the journey,’ he says now. This Mental Health Awareness Week, the Croydon musician is releasing a song called 19 May — named after the day he lost his best friend — as both a tribute and a reminder that grief, however long you carry it alone, can eventually find its voice.
It was 2015 and Luis was studying music in London when his brother Andres, living in Alicante, Spain, was diagnosed with sarcoma. Andres’ initial symptoms were red patches on his face and body, and lumps under his armpits that started to grow. When he was finally diagnosed, the news shocked his family. Luis said: ‘He tried to be a strong person and not talk about cancer. I felt guilty that I didn’t ask more questions about what was going on.’
Andres received chemotherapy and his health improved but the cancer returned and he was put on more chemotherapy. Tragically, Andres died on 19 May 2016 aged just 23.
Luis said: ‘His cancer spread throughout his body and witnessing his fight – and ultimately losing him – is something that has stayed with me every day since.’
Luis recalled how he learned of his brother’s death. ‘I had a text from my mother telling me that I needed to return to Spain. She tried to protect me because I have panic attacks. I got on the plane but then found out on social media that my brother had died.’
Because funerals take place quickly after death in Spain, as soon as the flight landed, Luis went straight to his brother’s cremation. He scattered his ashes into the sea.
‘Andres is the person I am trying to be. My brother was not only my sibling but my best friend. Losing him so young changed my life and left a permanent mark on my family. For a long time, I carried the desire to do something meaningful in his memory but I wasn’t sure how or when I would be ready. It was only last year that I allowed myself to talk about what had happened. It is therapeutic to talk about it. Talking is part of the journey.’
Luis, who has another brother, had a career in music but now works for a civil engineering firm. He has started a podcast called The Mind Corner that focuses on mental health, real-life journeys and meaningful conversations. ‘It will provide me with a strong platform to share my brother’s story and raise awareness about sarcoma,’ he said.
He ran the London Marathon in April to raise funds for charity Sarcoma UK. Now he has recorded a song called 19 May about Andres that is released on…19 May.
‘He wasn’t just my brother – he was my best friend, my safe place, my constant. Losing him shattered my world in a way I never knew was possible. No one is ever ready to lose their best friend, especially not so young, especially not to something so cruel. Life kept moving, but a part of me stayed with him, frozen in that moment when everything changed.
‘My biggest regret is not being there when he died. This song is asking for forgiveness. I wanted to pay tribute to his memory.’
Sarcoma UK Support Line Manager, Helen Stradling, said: ‘Luis’s story is one that will resonate deeply with so many people. Sarcoma doesn’t just take a life — it leaves behind a trail of grief that can be incredibly isolating, particularly for young people who lose a sibling or a close family member and don’t always know where to turn. Luis carried this pain for nearly a decade. Grief has no timetable and, for many families, the emotional impact of sarcoma stays with them long after their loved one has gone. The fact that Luis has found a way to channel that grief into something as powerful and universal as music – and that doing so has finally allowed him to open up and talk about what happened — is genuinely moving. That journey from silence to being able to speak, to create, to share — that is hope. And this Mental Health Awareness Week, his story is a reminder that however long you have been carrying something, it is never too late to find your voice. Sarcoma UK offers online bereavement support groups for anyone who has lost a loved one to sarcoma. Please follow this link for further information https://sarcoma.org.uk/support/support-groups/bereavement-support-group-online/’
