I've been a Mental Health sufferer for 14 years and now know I will be on a lifelong mental health journey. I was diagnosed at the age of just 9 with not one mental illness but four, yes that's right PTSD, OCD, Depression and Panic Attacks and guess what I still have them to this day and will have them for life. I was ashamed for so long about having mental health issues and lost my childhood due to this; no child should lose their childhood due to there mental illnesses. I'm now very proud to be a mental health sufferer and in fact know it makes up part of the jigsaw that makes me ME and for that I'm very proud. My illnesses don't define me and never will I just wish it hadn't taken me 10 years to realise this. The journey to get to where I am today has not been easy at all and it's certainly been one Uphill struggle but what I can say is that I conquered that uphill climb and continue to climb on up this life and know what ever 'life ' mountain is thrown my way I will be able to conquer it just life I did a mental breakdown when I was just 8 years old. It truly shows that you are so much stronger than you think you are and you can get through the darkness and remember the light will always shine again. 

This MQ Challenge is one I can't wait to be part of and I'm delighted to be doing the Three Peaks Challenge with a twist! I know it's going to be tough and there will be times where I don't want to continue but guess what I know I can get through this Uphill Struggle and will conquer the finish. 

MQ work is vital and mental illness and mental health research need to be treated and funded the same way as physical illness. Mental Illness is NO different so why is it treated differently. Let's Stop the Stigma, Raise key funds to support important research and lets get Mental Illness treated Equally as Physical Illness.

A little bit more about MQ below -

We’re MQ, the mental health research charity. We transform lives through research, helping to create a future where mental illnesses are understood, effectively treated and one day prevented.  Right now, one in four people in the UK are living with a mental health condition. Our scientists investigate a huge range of issues: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and more. We’re bringing together everything from cutting-edge neuroscience to social studies to find the answers we need. Better is possible.