Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, this is
one person every 40 seconds.

1 in 4 of us will suffer with mental-illness in our life time.

I was laid in a hospital bed in August 2016 wishing my suicide attempt had worked. Months and months of self-harm came before this. 6 years of deafening silence. 6 years of not knowing where to turn. 6 years of not understanding why I was feeling the way I was. 6 long years I spent hating who I was, losing myself, in a deep and debilitating depression that no-one knew about. 

I was nearly one of those 800,000 people in 2016. 

For anyone that doesn't know, mental illness is exhausting. It tests you daily and you are in a constant battle with your own mind. Depression made me feel as though I would be better off dead than alive. It made me believe that the world would be a better place if I wasn't in it. It made me hate everything about living. It took everything from me.

The reason I spoke out in the first place was because I don't want anybody to go through what I did. I talk about mental illness daily because it needs talking about. It's real and you can't get rid of it by just wishing it away. This is a cause that needs support, it needs action, it needs investment, it needs education and it needs to be a priority. 

If I can help just one person to seek help, to realise that mental illness is a battle that can be won or to help them just through one single day, then for me, sharing my story is more than worth it. 

I'm no longer embarrassed, nor am I ashamed. I am lucky that I am in a position now to help in supporting incredible charities, such as Mind. The last year has seen me walk from Leeds to London and raise already over £10,000 for Mind, but I want to double it.

Climbing Mount Everest next year is going to be mentally and physically challenging. The altitude will make it hard to breathe,  but when you're in the darkness of depression, breathing feels impossible. 

If you can donate, or contribute by supporting me in anyway, it would be incredible. Thank you!

Twitter - @CandCFundraise

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