Have you ever had a favourite photo of someone you love? Then 1 day you can’t bring yourself to look at that photo ever again.

For me that day was Tuesday 7th of November 2017.

You’d think it would be easy to tell a story that you have lived but it’s genuinely 1 of the hardest things to open up about. Over the last few months the only thing I have been able to control is keeping this “secret” close as a family to protect each other, the thought of this becoming public scares the sh*t out of me but Martin has an incredible strength that I can’t even begin to describe. Despite it all he is as usual thinking of other people and ways he can help them.

For those of you lucky enough to know Martin will know he always has a smile on his face, he is genuinely the nicest person I know, never has a bad word to say about anyone & is always the first one to offer someone a helping hand in a time of need.

We are fortunate enough to have 3 amazing children, wonderful families and a beautiful home.

So why did my husband attempt to end his life?

For weeks after that day life stood still, nothing made sense anymore, the questions were there ALL THE TIME but no one had the answers.

Why didn’t we notice? Could I have done more? Why didn’t he want to be here?

THANKFULLY our story has a different ending to many others which I will be forever grateful. I get to fall asleep every night and wake up every morning with my husband by my side, my children get their daddy to tuck them in at nights and read them their bedtime stories and luckily our family will recover from this. Sadly for many families this is not the case and that makes me very sad 💔

We are all guilty of taking life or the people we have in ours for granted, if you take anything away from this message please hug your kids a little tighter tonight, tell you partner you love them a little more often and if you think anyone you know is suffering in silence please reach out to them it’s as simple as asking if they are okay that will make the world of difference to them in that moment.

The truth is life isn’t as perfect as you think by looking at someone’s Facebook posts or their Instagram pictures. Always remember, that is a glimpse into someone’s world that they want you to see, not everyone airs their business on social media, or when they are at the bar with a “fake” smile plastered on their face trying to convince you that they are fine.

Sometimes things are not okay & as a society it’s so very important we break the stigma. Ask for help, speak to someone, PLEASE know you are not alone.

IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY 🖤

I can’t fault the outstanding work of the Emergency services and the NHS that day, if it wasn’t for their commitment, fast acting, resources and overwhelming support that night could have had a very different outcome.

BUT .....

There is so much more that needs to be done in regards to Mental Health and the resources available. The average waiting time for someone in need to see a councillor is 6 MONTHS 😳 That kind of time scale is the difference between life or death for some people.

• The most common killer in under 45 year old males in the UK is Suicide 😢

• 75 % of all suicides in the UK are MALE 😢

• 1 in 3 people in the UK are living with a Mental Health Condition 😢

We’re not telling our story for sympathy, we made the VERY hard decision to do this simply because we want to help others by raising as much awareness about this life changing illness.

Martin is living proof that mental health can effect anyone at anytime. We have decided to hold a charity night to raise money and awareness for a charity very close to our hearts ♥️ SAMH (Scottish Association Mental Health)

*This event will be held @ Portlethen GolfClub on Saturday 8th September. It would mean the absolute world if you could join us that evening to raise as much money and awareness we possibly can for this fantastic charity. So pop the date in your diary 🙏🏻 Tickets for the event will be available soon but anyone keen to come and support us please let me know and I will put tickets aside 😘