His name was Andrew.

In March 2013 on one of the darkest days of my life, when I honestly wasn't sure if I'd be alive by morning, I made a phone call.

Depression is like falling into a tunnel, the world you knew getting smaller and smaller as it fades into the distance and you are swallowed whole by the darkness. It plays tricks on your mind, making time stand still till every second ticking by feels like a scar across your body, scratching from one end to the other. Each moment aches with a pain that is so physical you can't understand how no one can see it.

That evening I could barely move from the pain. Lying on the landing carpet I couldn't understand how I could see the night through, how the pain of living wasn't going to engulf me before dawn. That's when I called them.

I don't know anything more than his name, but Andrew is part of the reason I'm still here today. He didn't solve my problems, he didn't even prevent me from ending up in hospital that evening. All he did was listen and remind me that I'm never alone in the world.

No cry for help should ever go unanswered. In 2014 the Samaritans answered 5,100,000 cries for help, whether by email or text, face to face or over the phone like me. My wonderful sister is running side by side with me to help make sure more calls like mine can be answered.

Please donate. Donate because 13.1 miles is a really long way to run. Donate because we've been working hard for months to make sure we can do it. But mostly, donate because this is a charity that can reach into the darkest corners of the world and help pull people out.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.