Welcome!

Thanks so much for coming to the online donation page for my 3 marathon event! This is by far the most physically demanding challenge I have ever set for myself. I am not a runner. I drink too many beers, eat too many biscuits. I have no idea how to train to run a marathon.

So let me tell you a little bit about why I'm doing this. 2019 will be the 10 year anniversary of the passing of my dad. He was only 42 when he died after a 20 year-long struggle with his mental health. Diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder in his late 20's and time spent in and out of mental health hospitals dad couldn't always ask for help when he needed it. My dad found getting help so difficult that he eventually developed a drug problem as a way of managing his distressing experiences in life. Dad struggled for many years without ever feeling able approach anybody for help, when eventually he overdosed and left a family with 4 children behind. 

Unfortunately, this is not all that uncommon. My dad is just one of a large number of vulnerable people with suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45. That is staggering. 

I don't feel it is enough to tell people they need to "ask for help" with their mental health when they are struggling. Sometimes the nature of mental illness makes this impossible. The stigma alone makes approaching the subject a challenge. There needs to be a change in how we approach mental health and how we respond to people in crisis. That's why I'm running for CALM. They do fantastic work to challenge the stigma of mental illness and prevent suicide. If you want to know more about what they do, have a look here:

https://www.thecalmzone.net/about-calm/what-is-calm/

Starting at the end of October this year, I am running my first of three marathons in three weeks. Starting in Amsterdam, the second in Luassane and the final marathon in Nice. 

I want to thank you again for taking some time to read this and for visiting my page. If you've donated, thank you so much, it really does mean a lot to me.

Big love!

Shannon. xx

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