I'm running for my grandfather, my brother, my family & my friends 🤍

Three years now, I’ve laced up my shoes for this & it’s one of my greatest achievements & proudest accomplishments. 

Here’s what I know & what the numbers back up:

In 2024, 3,326 people in Australia died by suicide. 

• 9 people a day. 
• The median age was 46. 
• Over 75% were men.
• Over 10 million Australian adults know someone who has died by suicide. 
• 1 in 2 young people will be touched by it before they turn 25.

That means almost everyone reading this either already knows this grief, or will.

Mental health is not weakness. It was never weakness. The people we’ve lost & the people I love who are still here & still fighting are some of the strongest people I’ve ever known, because staying alive through something like that takes more strength than most people will ever have to find.

I think that’s part of why I am who I am- the loud one, the bubbly one, the one who does more. Because I also know what it feels like when someone isn’t, because I’ve sat with these feelings at my own dinner table. So I choose to live with a smile & make everyday full of love. So I run. Not to fix what’s already happened- nothing fixes that. I run because someone out there is deciding right now whether they’re worth staying for & I want them to know people are still showing up, still raising money, still refusing to let this stay unspoken. 

If you can give, thank you- truly. It’s difficult in this economy hence the low fundraising goal. Over the years we’ve raised an incredible amount of over $1k & that doesn’t go unnoticed. 

& if you can’t, please ring someone. Sit with someone. Say the thing you’ve been meaning to say. Tell people you love them. That costs nothing & it might be the thing that matters most.

So as I enter my 3rd year, I have decided to do 20km. 9km for the 9 lives lost everyday & doubling that & the extra 2km for the 2 people in my family we have lost to mental health & suicide. I will continue to honour my grandfather who passed by suicide. For my loved ones, who carry more than anyone sees. & for anyone reading this in the dark- please know the morning always finds a way back, even when you can’t see it from where you’re standing 🤍