In May 2016 my mum died very unexpectedly and it broke our hearts, but no one hurt more than my Dad. He is still struggling with his loss; it has been a marathon journey, that is not over.

“In March of last year I came home from University in a pretty sorry state. For those who have never been exposed to mental health issues it can be utterly bewildering. I had become a stranger to myself and I was completely numb to the pain that I was causing myself and my family. Two months later my Grandmother went in for heart surgery and the unimaginable happened; she didn’t make it through the operation.                                                                                                            In a place that is so dark, so lonely and confusing it can be hard to find a way back out. For me, art provided a creative outlet and a place where I could rediscover myself and make sense of my thoughts. ” 

These are my daughter Emma's words. Emma was diagnosed with anxiety, severe depression and an eating disorder similar to anorexia. Initially her treatment was very limited and help seemed very hard to come by, but in September 2016 she was finally given access to excellent support at Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen. She has been through group therapy sessions, she is being supported by a psychiatrist and a nutritionist and is about to start a series of appointments with a physiotherapist who specialises in body image therapy. There are now more good days when she is her true self, but the low moods can be just around the corner. Grampian Hospitals Art Trust do a lot of work with the patients of Cornhill Hospital and their families and art has played a significant part in my daughter's recovery. Although she feels that her life has come to a standstill she has made such huge progress, but her marathon is not over.

As a teacher I asked my Form Class to choose a charity for me to raise funds for. They came up with several.  I chose GHAT because it resonated with me for these reasons.

So I'm running my own marathon journey now, in recognition of what my dad and my daughter have gone through and are still going through. I hope that if I finish this race it will give them hope that their marathon journeys can end positively too.