“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” 
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss

My name is Thomas Sheppard and if things were different I wouldn't be here writing this message to you now.....

I suffered with depression and eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia) through my teenage years. On 2nd July 2011 I took the picture you can see above and vowed to never starve myself again. The previous night I had attempted to take my own life (which wasn't the first time) and it was only once I was that low that I saw that something had to change. Rather than harming myself I chose to focus on improving myself for the better through lifting weights. Yes it was an obsession (perhaps to unhealthy extent) but it was definitely better than what I was doing previously. A few years later me and my now wife Naomi found the sport of powerlifting and I havn't looked back since. Not only did it give me direction in my life but both me and Naomi got to the point where we compete at the international level for Britain and that is something that has given me immense pride in both myself, and her.

When I compete at the WPC European Powerlifting Championships for the UK on 10th June 2016 it will be nearly 5 years since that night in 2011 and I want to use it to help those who are in that same dark place that I was back then. 

Sadly most people who go through what I went through have no help and even feel ashamed to talk out about it. Even worse, many are successful in their attempts to end their suffering. No-one should ever have to go through that pain alone and scared without help. 

If you've gotten this far then I thank you for your time and patience. With your donations MIND can help ensure that those who are suffering in silence can reach out for help without fear of rejection or ridicule. Even a £1 donation could be enough to help MIND reach out to someone and pull them out of despair, perhaps changing their lives forever.

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Sheppard

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