60km for Pieta House

Another fundraiser you might ask? I promise you this is for a good cause. Five years ago almost to the day my dad Barry passed away suddenly. It was a very traumatic experience, and left me devastated. My dad and I were extremely close, and although we fought a lot, he was my bestfriend. In the time since my mental health has taken a toll, often leading me to deal with issues in a less favourable manner. Grieving someone so close to you is a long and confusing process. However thankfully I have seen massive improvement and am far better off than I was even 18 months ago.

I am extremely lucky to have an extraordinary support system behind me. My family are dependable, open and understanding in a way that has allowed me to find my way again. However I know that many others are not as fortunate as I am, being forced to keep their mental health private. Therapy is still a taboo subject in Ireland which creates a stigma around attending. I know myself that I too have put off speaking to someone at times as I felt I was then becoming a burden. This is obviously entirely untrue. Therapy should be for everyone, problem or no problem. My dad was a big believer in being honest and sincere with people which I believe comes only when you can be honest and sincere with yourself. I believe making services more available by reducing costs and increasing visability can impact how everyone treats the service. For these reasons I have decided to run a 60km ultramarathon for Pieta House.

Why Pieta? Pieta provides a professional one-to-one therapeutic service to people who are in suicidal distress, those who engage in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide. We need help more than ever to support our free lifesaving work. We rely on the generosity of the public, whose donations and fundraising make up over 80% of our income. Sometimes it takes just one phone call, or one person who cares, to help someone begin to find their way back from suicide and feel safe. You can be that person.

If you’ve read this far I’d really appreciate sharing the post, commenting or even a donation. Anything at all goes a long way.

Thank you for all of your support.

Yours,

AH x