This has been set up in the memory of my brother George Roger Hackney, who sadly passed away on Sunday 7th June 2020 at the age of 20.
George was a very loving person, who touched the lives of so many. He was beautiful inside and out, a genuine soul and knew how loved he was. Family was everything to him and his empathy always shone through.
G very suddenly displayed an obvious change in behaviour and we knew he needed intervention ASAP. He had no known previous mental health illness and the medical team ruled out any physical causes.
His diagnosis from this was psychosis.
When G came home, we all worked together, with the support of the mental health team. G came back to us; stopped hearing voices, stopped having delusions, he laughed, he loved and we spent some really happy times together. We were all aware that he would need further support, but there was a strong chance he would fully recover from this. We all had hope.
Then, G relapsed. We worked together to help G but this time was different. He remembered what he went through during his last episode; for the first time ever, he told us he was suicidal. He would fluctuate between “euphoria” and feeling really low. No matter what he tried, his mood changed quickly. He would talk to us, he would talk to the mental health teams. He did whatever he could to try help himself. As a family, we stripped the stigma of mental health and G spoke openly about the struggles he was having.
But it wasn't enough.
We will use G’s spirit to help others, as he helped so many people with his kind, empathetic heart. We don’t yet know where the help is most needed but we can promise that the money will be used to understand more and reduce the stigma around illnesses such as psychosis and schizophrenia.
If you are struggling at all, please don't mask your feelings, talk to someone.
We love you G! We did yesterday, do today. We will for the rest of our lives.
Be kind, always.