JUNE 24 will forever be both the best and worst day in ­Nicole Astill's young life.

Hours after giving birth to her first child, the 29-year-old Tweed woman's life was turned upside down as police walked into her hospital room to tell her the man she loved had taken his own life.

But for Miss Astill, the fateful police visit was ­merely confirmation of her worst fears.

Patrick Foresi went missing on May 30 after a long history with anxiety and depression.

The 42-year-old was excited to be a father four years after meeting his de facto Ms Astill while the pair worked in the mines at Roma.

But one thing played on his mind — money.

The boilermaker travelled to Binna Burra every day to make a living but after making good money his entire life, Ms Astill says Mr Foresi had become fearful of not being able to provide for his young family.

"Stressed about money in particular, with the baby coming he wanted to be able to provide everything for us," she said.

"He believed that the man of the house should look after his family, he was old fashioned.

"His whole life he was used to earning great money but in the last 12 months, especially, he found it difficult to find work around here.

"He didn't like to struggle.

"Some weeks we didn't know how we would afford our rent and when things like this happened he suffered from severe anxiety that led him into a depressive state.

"I mean there were other things in his life he suffered from, but mainly he just felt like a failure."

Ms Astill remembers the Monday morning she last saw Mr Foresi, who stormed out of the home the couple shared in Tweed Heads never to return.

"He just woke up in a mood. It's as though he knew what he was going to do now that I look back," she said.

"The last thing he said was we'd be better off without him.

"I've taken him to the doctors but they just wanted to medicate him and that's not his thing. He doesn't like taking medication that 'takes over his body'."

A month went by before Ms Astill would find out the true fate of her partner when police told her he had committed suicide.

His body was found in Mebbin National Park, west of Uki in Northern NSW.

Mr Foresi was meant to name his firstborn child and told his partner he had a name picked out.

But eventually, Ms Astill decided to name her boy after his dad — Henry Patrick Foresi.

"Pat didn't want his name included in the baby's name, but it only felt right," she said.

"Pat was to choose the name if it was a boy as we made a deal, but he told me he wouldn't tell me the name until the baby was born."

Ms Astill said few people who knew Mr Foresi would ever have dreamt he struggled with a sickness that consumed his life on most days.

But Ms Astill says she hopes to inspire other men to talk about mental health.

"He was a sick man, not many people would have seen it, a lot of it was only noticeable behind closed doors," she said.

"Mental health is a serious issue, especially for men.

"They don't need to be too proud to get help, even if that help is by talking to a mate.

"I'm coping. By taking each day as it comes. The baby is a great distraction."

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