Turning pain into purpose: TC Chillemi brings awareness of students’ mental health
During Homecoming week, Arizona State University held their annual Night of Caring event on Nov. 12, 2025. The event was sponsored by the TC Chillemi Foundation and held by Arizona State Counseling Services to honor Bob Chillemi’s late son, TC Chillemi, who passed away battling substance abuse. Bob gave a moving speech in which he talked lovingly about his son, sharing the hardships TC faced.
He shared TC’s experiences to stress a singular point to the students in attendance: “We’re all TC,” Chillemi said.
“Every single one of you, every student is TC. You all look like him to me. Good looking, great hair and great students who want to have fun.”
Chillemi shared his son's challenges as a means of being transparent with the students. That just like TC before them, there is no reason for anyone to feel alone again once they are at ASU, and he encouraged all people to prioritize their mental health, seek and not be afraid of support and to ultimately find their balance.
“One thing I always talk about is balance,” Chillemi said. “You have to have a balance, anything you do in life, in sports, in study, in work, in your home. The balance of life. That is something that will help you throughout not only your career, but throughout your life.”
On top of the emphasis toward self-care, Chillemi also expressed immense gratitude to ASU’s Counseling Services, sharing that since the inception of their foundation, more than $720,500 has been raised for the counseling endowment across all four campuses. He encouraged students to know that they have resources, that there is a support network for them, that ultimately, they are not alone.
For Chillemi, one thing he has relied on is his faith, and through it, he maintains a spiritual connection to his son.
“Lorraine, Tiffany and I are standing by the bed,” Chillemi began. “I read TC a prayer. A prayer that one of my buddies gave to me to give to him. So I read the prayer, and halfway through, a tear came out of his right eye. I looked at Lorraine and I said, ‘This is one of the lives.’”
“I wouldn't believe it if somebody told me, but I was there. A tear comes out. We just stop, and we wait. I'm waiting for him to say, ‘Hey Dad, what's going on? What Pops?’ That's what he used to call me,” he said. “That, to me, was the faith that we have in God, in our God. That was faith that he heard us. I didn't know that at that time, but the neurosurgeon told us about a week later — he heard you. He heard us, because the last thing to go is the hearing. ”
Chillemi’s goal by sharing his son’s story is to help any kid struggling alone. It is crucial to him and that everyone at ASU knows that they aren’t alone, and that there is a support system of Sun Devils here to help uplift and take care of you, even in the most troubling of times.
The conversation around mental health will always be vital as students are adapting every day. With these efforts, the Chillemi family and ASU hope to prevent losses for other families while reminding students that their mental health matters.
To schedule an appointment with ASU Counseling Services, go to your MyASU and click on the campus services tab. In the health and wellness resources section at the top left click on my health portal and follow the prompt given on the site.
Important Links:
Support the TC Chillemi Foundation
988 Suicide and Crsis Lifeline (24/7)
Crisis Text line (Text “HOME” to 741741)
Photography by: Joey Setti