In 2017 I lost one of my closest friends Kiera to suicide. She was indescribable in the best possible way, i have never and will never meet anyone like her. She was loving , kind, funny and the most bonkers person i knew, never failing to brighten my day. She cared so deeply about everyone in her life and never failed to brighten up a bad day; i feel truly blessed call her one of my closed friends.

Since then managing this irreplaceable loss has been a rocky journey, for years i avoided many things that reminded me of our friendship as i felt it highlighted the gap that was left without her. I would avoid songs we used to both love, films and TV programs Kiera used to quote on a daily basis were too painful to watch, places where beautiful memories were made became places i couldn’t go.

But in the past few years I’ve come to realise I was too busy focusing on what i lost rather than how lucky i was to have a friend like Kiera and all these things that remind me of her. Now the songs that we loved play and i makes me think of her, the TV shows and films she loved now remind me of her humour, places that hold memories feel familiar and kind. All of these things remind me that she will always be in my life and how privileged i am to have so many things that hold our memories that i cherish.

Im lucky to have had support from family, friends and professionals to navigate my emotions. Mental heath is different for everyone and managing it alone can become really tough. Along with some more of Keira’s friends and her family i am going to be taking part in a nuclear race and getting pretty muddy to raise money for “the mix” who are a charity helping young adults facing challenges such as drugs, homelessness and mental health struggles.

Its a great way for us to honour the generosity and love Kiera showed everyone lucky enough to know her. 🤍xx