In October 2023, my brother in law, Dan, made the ultimate decision to take his own life - a decision that has changed our lives forever.

A few days before Dan’s death, his brother, Rus met up with him and not once did Dan mention how he was feeling. He kept his thoughts and feelings to himself until the end, leaving the family with so many questions that only Dan has the answers to.

The pain of losing Dan is a pain we do not wish on anyone else. It is such a confusing and sad way to lose a loved one. Seeing Rus lose and grieve his best friend has been heartbreaking.

Sadly, we all know the scary statistics surrounding mental health and suicide, particularly in men. Because of this, I am running a total of 320km in the month of May for the Samaritan’s, in honour of what would have been Dan’s 32nd birthday. I’ll be running 10km a day, ending with 20km on the 31st May - what would have been Dan’s 32nd birthday.

I picked to raise money for The Samaritan’s because their vision is simple - that fewer people die by suicide. They answer potentially life saving calls every 10 seconds. Talking to someone about how you feel can literally save your life.

On the 8th October, our lives changed forever. We are only 6 months in without Dan, with forever to go.

I appreciate any donations throughout the month of May in memory of Dan :)

We love you and miss you Dan x