He Was 24, Studied, Worked, and Made Plans: He Told His Mother About His Gambling Problem and Died by Suicide 20 Days Later

Mónica Bedoya’s story is a reminder that severe distress does not always look like severe distress from the outside. Her son Martín was 24, studied marketing, worked, played football, had a girlfriend, and was making plans — until he told her he had gambling problems and debts from online betting, and 20 days later he died by suicide.

1. According to Bedoya, Martín started betting at 17 on illegal sites and later moved to legal platforms. She tied that path to the always-on access created by smartphones: “We put a casino in a child’s and teenager’s hand,” she said, describing what betting apps make possible.
2. The key conversation happened 20 days before his death. In it, Martín told his mother he owed money to her, to a sister living outside the country, and to a friend. Bedoya said the total debt was USD 8.000.
3. Bedoya stressed that the debt was not unmanageable for the family financially. The problem, she said, was the emotional weight: Martín felt he had let down the people closest to him. “For him, it was a huge shame,” she said.
4. She said her son did not fit the stereotype many people associate with psychological suffering. He was not isolated, shut in, or without relationships. Even on his last day, he had gone to a kinesiology session for a knee injury, made plans with his girlfriend, and bought turrones he liked.
5. After his death, Bedoya found two letters. In one, she said, Martín apologized, excluded his family from any blame, and asked to be remembered for who he was. She has since turned that experience into a public call for suicide prevention and family support, and said the issue should not be confined to September, the month of awareness and prevention.