Last year was without a doubt the worst year of my life. February 2017, less than a week after my birthday, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I woke up one morning with a bloody fist, an aching head and a heart full of regret. At which point I knew, it was time for me to get help. I rung up Swansea wellbeing and managed to get 4 weeks worth of counselling sessions for myself. And after those 4 weeks of counselling I felt like a different person, almost completely unrecognisable from the shadow I was before. And by the start of summer, I had near returned to being my usual laughing and joking, happy go lucky self.

The truth is, I still have all the same depressing issues that I had before. Plus all the new issues I've uncovered since then, for example my brother being diagnosed with a chronic illness, me tearing my ACL and not being able to play football etc. But, because of the help I received I'm able to deal with all of these different situations everyday and not let it affect my wellbeing. Having someone to talk to who understood what I was going through was the most important factor in me becoming myself again.

I'm not embarrassed by having gone through this, I'm proud of it because I fixed myself. I sought out help because I knew I needed it and I hate to think what would've happened if I never got it.

The issue is, there are thousands of people who struggle with mental illness everyday and a lot of them don't get the help they need. Whether it's because they call out for help and no one hears them or because they never call at all. Mental illness kills people and that's the harsh reality. Depressed individuals get to a point where they either seek out help or they attempt suicide. Unfortunately more often than not people do seek out help, but in the wrong people and in the wrong places. So it leaves them with one choice, the choice to fight or the choice to give in 😔.

The reason I'm raising money for mind charity is to help provide support for everyone suffering from mental illness, so they don't just have to go to anyone and hope that they will listen. They can go to someone who they know will listen and to someone who they know will help. I want to help raise awareness as well and make everybody aware that someone you know will go through this in their lifetime and that's fact. So I beg you, if someone turns to you and asks you for help, please listen, because it may not mean a lot to you, but trust me when I say, it'll mean the world to them.

Please donate and thank you for listening.