In 2020, my close friend, Megs was diagnosed with Bipolar, a mental illness I had rarely heard about, let alone come in to contact with someone who suffered with it. This severe mental illness is a condition commonly knows for its bursts of highs and lows, yet in fact this condition is amplified beyond this to its manic “highs” and depressive “lows”, whilst continually eating away at the person you are. 

Megs fought and endured to return to a form of “normality” after her first episode with the support of her best-friend, Henry. The process of adapting is not something able to be done over night, but something over a period of time, whilst surrounding yourself with the people you love. Love is one thing Megs was not short of! 

Megs was a beautiful and endearing woman, but not only these, she was tough and she was a fighter, traits which I witnessed her harness to fight the destructive and manipulative condition that Bipolar is. Bipolar took her life and introduced a gap into our souls. 

As Henry elegantly put:

“Endurance is word I think aptly describes dealing with bipolar. The hardest thing about the treatment of it, is that it requires time, understanding, awareness and ultimately, funding to deal with. While I cannot change some of those things, a little extra funding, and a little more talking, is certainly something I can try and generate.”

In the spirit of this, I want to join the tallying and continue racking up the muddy miles, money and awareness raised for Bipolar. I will be looking to run the length of the Outer-Hebrides (south to north), solo, unsupported, across multiple days, adding around 180-200 miles to the already existing tally. Additionally, I will not be stopping in Stornoway, as is classically done on the Hebridean Way, but I will be continuing to the most northern tip of the island. This is likely to take me to some interesting and challenging mental places, but it is far from what Megs endured. 

This run is for you Megs, and I know you’ll be cheering me on the whole way. 

#muddymilesformegs

‘£10 helps someone get peer support from the eCommunity

£50 helps someone get peer support via call-back or email

£500 helps 820 people find information via the website

£1000 helps 13 people get peer support on Zoom

£5000 helps 560 people use all their services for a month to keep well”

“Bipolar is a severe, lifelong mental health condition characterised by highs and lows. At their most extreme, the highs can lead to delusional thinking and psychosis, and the lows to suicidal thoughts.

Tragically, someone living with bipolar is 20 times more likely to take their own life than someone without the condition, with at least 1/20 of all people who take their own life in the UK having a diagnosis of bipolar. Which is why the work of

Bipolar UK is so important. Bipolar UK is the only dedicated national charity supporting those affected by bipolar, and they currently reach 389,000 people annually in the UK. They offer peer support to anyone affected by bipolar through in-person and online group meetings, call-back and email support, and a moderated eCommunity.’