He's a man on a mission. His purpose is to prevent any parent, child, or family from going through the devastation of losing a loved one to suicide.

In 1999, Steve Fugate was walking the Appalachian Trail, and had his 26-year-old son running his business while he was away. ''And, for reasons we'll never really know, he went down to the beach one day, placed my 38 in his mouth and ended both of our lives,'' Fugate says.

''I cried every single day, and its a great place to scream - the Appalachian Trail. I got to thinking that I had to do something to prevent other parents from going through this horrible tragedy.''

His plan was to literally walk across the country to spread awareness about suicide.

''I went to California with a 'Love Life' sign over my head and walked across the United States. [Suicide] just totally devastates,'' Fugate says.

''You can do anything you in this life that you want to do, but hurt others. And that little four letter word hurt doesn't describe the pain and devastation that suicide will cause those who love you.''

Fugate is now on his sixth trek across the country, covering roughly 20 miles a day, although he says in years prior he's covered many more miles per day.

''I'm going to walk into every state in the United States. This sign can save lives,'' he said. ''Love life no matter what, its a gift.''

Follow Fugate on his facebook page Lovelifewalk.

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