In 2019, my Best Man and dear friend Miles Christie took his own life, devastating all those who knew and loved him. Miles was a loving husband and father to two amazing young children and worked as a General Practitioner. He was an outstanding doctor, which was exemplified by the outpouring of hundreds of incredible patient testimonials after his death.

Unfortunately suicide is much more common in the medical profession than the population as a whole. When Miles was in difficulty he avoided seeking help as he was deeply concerned that having mental health challenges would negatively impact his career.

In August, I will try to swim the 26km length of Lake Zurich in memory of Miles (with my daughter Mabel, who is Miles’ god-daughter, helping me from a support boat). I hope to raise money for a charity called Doctors in Distress who help healthcare professionals facing extreme challenges whilst undertaking the work they do to care for us all.

If you are able to contribute to this cause it would be greatly appreciated, to help the charity support and protect the mental health of our health care professionals, aiming to reduce stigma around mental health and prevent suicide within the health sector.