Hello everyone, I know this post is long but please read it to the end.

My name is Tracey and I have suffered with Bipolar Disorder since a very young age.  Over the years my condition gradually got worse until around 4 years ago I was so ill that I didn’t want my life to continue.  I couldn’t get out of bed let alone leave the house.  I have suffered many manic episodes and many depressive episodes, my first one being when I was about 8 years old. 

Mental illness has for many years had a huge stigma attached to it.  As a child and a young adult I didn’t even know how to tell my family how I felt, they suffered for years too not knowing what was wrong with me or how to get help.  The sad thing is that countless people live with a mental health condition, whether it be minor depression or full on schizophrenia or personality disorder, and countless numbers of those people live in silence, many going on to take their own lives.

MIND is a charity that offers support to anyone affected by mental illness, whether it’s you yourself who is suffering or a member of your family or even a friend.  They are open to everyone without exception.  Their vision is to not give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.  They campaign tirelessly to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

With the support of my amazing family, my medical team and MIND I managed to find a way out of the darkness.  My condition is now under control and I am able to live a happy and fulfilling life for the first time.  I am so grateful for the support I received that now I want to put something back.  The hardest thing for me was not being able to leave the house and feeling trapped so I’m going to stick 2 fingers up to that and get out there and do the Trans Pennine Challenge.  I will be walking 100km (62.2m) from Manchester to the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on 22 June 2013 raising money for MIND.  My target time for the entire walk is no more than 15 hours including food and bathroom breaks along the way.

I would like to ask you all to please give as generously as you can, I know times are hard but please don’t feel embarrassed if you can only manage a few pence. You can give anonymously if you wish and every penny counts.  All donations will be very much appreciated no matter how small.  I would also like to ask if you would please tell your friends to help spread the word.  I will be so grateful for any support you can drum up and thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

I hope that you or any of your loved ones never have to experience mental illness, but please think about what you would want if it did happen, if it was your parent or your child or even you.  Wouldn’t you want to know that there was help out there to save that person from the hell that is mental illness?

 Tracey x