I lost my dad to suicide when I was 25 years old... a sudden departure of a wonderful young man someone who I idolised, loved, and adored would no longer be in my life, just taken from me in an instant leaving behind young children, family & friends.

A topic so raw, un-relatable and foreign to most of the people closest to me at the time, I struggled putting words to my emotions and expressing honestly how I was really feeling. Instead, I shut off from the world, suppressed my feelings and decided to go on this journey alone sitting in the pain, emptiness, hate, sadness, anger, regret, and internal torture finding anyway to escape myself and how I felt.

At the time talking about this incident would have made losing my dad a reality, something I just didn’t want or know
how to come to terms with at such a young age.

To my own determent over the years, I have suffered with various mental health issues.

For me this is a daily practise and it’s not easy, different days throw up different challenges, not each day is the same and when you think you’ve nailed something, something else crops up. Today I look at challenging myself both mentally and physically as an opportunity to grow and be better.

I have found running for me has been a great outlet and given me a platform to be able to express myself in a
positive way with the ability to adopt marathon training into day-to-day life.

19th April 2023 marks the 10 year anniversary of my dad, so for me their was no better way than to celebrate with the London Marathon and make him proud!

I have chosen to fundraise for Grief Encounter as I have seen first-hand how they have helped children and young adults with their grief. I am here today to encourage anyone that has been through a similar experience and finds talking about what has happened or how they are feeling day to day due to the trauma to reach out and ask for help.

I have learnt first-hand (and the hard way) It takes a bigger and braver person to ask for help than to suffer alone and think you can do it alone. There are people out there that care and can and will help.