20th September 2012
21st February 2019
On these 2 days my phone rang with news that I truly wish no one ever had to receive. Mental Health has taken the lives of 2 very special men in my life; my cousin, and one of my best friends. My friend was someone who was always joking, smiling, and messing around. He made sure every day I was happy, chasing my dreams, and living my best life and it took my breath away to get the shocking news that he was gone. I had NO idea he was silently struggling inside and 8 years on I still read over messages from him looking at what now seems like obvious signs I wish I hadn't missed. My cousin had been battling with mental health for many years and the news he had lost this battle absolutely shattered our family and is still so hard to comprehend. I have learnt that sometimes you know, and sometimes you don't know what battles people are facing every day, and for that reason we must try and show kindness, understanding, and support as much as we can.
Every step, cycle, and movement I make over these 60km's will be for Rikki, for Wayne, and for all the other men who have lost their lives to Mental Health or are battling through it currently. You are not alone!
Mishy is pretty stoked with the new walking schedule! Although she hit struggle street at about the 3km mark so we took the short route home to finish off 4km of movement for our Thursday