Thanks for clicking through to my JustGiving page for the Paris Marathon!

Mental illness is incredibly personal for me. Though I don’t openly talk about it, I know a lot of people – from family members to friends to co-workers – who have been severely impacted by mental illness. I personally actively take steps every single day to fight against the anxious, depressive tendencies I have been combatting for over a decade. 

I will be running this race for my maternal grandmother, Françoise De Jonghe, who I was incredibly close with, and helped to care for and raise me in my younger years.

She lived with schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder for most of her life, and I was witness to her moving in and out of hospitals and going through episodes from a very young age. She nevertheless was a fascinating woman, full of elegance, grace, intelligence and had an amazing sense of humor (as well as an excellent taste in style!).

She was a beautiful, strong woman, and, in my eyes, her mental illness did not define her, it was just something she carried with her which sometimes would weigh her down a little bit. This is how I wish more people could view mental illness, by removing the stigma that currently comes along with it.

She unfortunately passed from medication linked to her mental illness, and I want to raise money in honor of her life and to represent other normally strong people who are subject to an illness that is sometimes hard to control.

This is my first time running a marathon so I would love any support you are able to give to this highly relevant cause and to an amazing charity - Rethink Mental Illness.