I'm swimming to save lives
- This is my first year diving
- in for youth mental health
Depending on how long you've known me, you will probably know one of two things about me. The first being that I have had ongoing struggles with my mental health since I was little, struggles that have landed me in hospital more than a few times throughout my life.
The second thing is that I absolutely hate exercise. Always have, and probably always will. I actually failed PE in year 9 (you're probably wondering how on earth that's possible, and all I can tell you is that I really, really hate exercise).
So how are these two things related? In March, ReachOut, an organisation dedicated to mental health awareness and support, will be running a fundraiser called Laps for Life. Every day, I'll be swimming one kilometre to help raise funds to go towards programs for young people experiencing mental illness.
Every day, one young person takes their life. And yet, I find that a lot of people shy away from this discussion, too scared of not knowing what to say, or if they do know what to say, then how to say it. Because they see my scars, or my medicine cabinet, and they don't want to make things awkward, or say something that might make me sad or uncomfortable. But there is no easy, comfortable way to talk about this topic, because it is a topic that is neither easy nor comfortable. It is a confronting topic, one that is filled with stigma, heartbreak, and misunderstanding, and despite the incidence of mental illness increasing, we as a society still don't know how to talk about it. So despite that discomfort, it is imperative that we don't stop talking about it. Because the more people who feel comfortable listening and talking about suicide and mental illness, the more people feel comfortable sitting with someone and saying "I haven't experienced what you're going through, but that doesn't mean you're alone", the more we work to lower this statistic.
Having had many experiences with the mental health systems in Australia, both public and private, I want to share some of the things that I have learnt, so that others have access to this information. If you are having a mental health crisis, if you cannot cope with things, and are thinking about suicide or self harm - Monash medical centre in Clayton has a dedicated mental health hub in the emergency department, with psychiatrists, psychologists, and staff who can see you and be with you. They will make sure you are safe, take care of you with dignity and respect, and refer you to programs designed for people experiencing these crises.
I cannot change my past, nor can I change the fact that I am biologically predisposed to periods of severe mental illness. But what is in my control is how I treat myself, the kindness and forgiveness I give to myself when I am experiencing these episodes. Major depressive disorder is a wicked beast - it will take and take and take from you until there is nothing left inside. Despite battling MDD for the last 15 years, these past 12 months have been the hardest of my life. But from all of this, I have learnt the meaning of true friends, the gift of family, and the importance of recognising that MDD is an illness, not a personal failing. It is a complex illness that needs medical care to diagnose and treat in order to get the best outcomes possible.
This March, I'll be doing one of the things I hate most in life, every day, and I'll be doing it for an organisation that is working to improve access to necessary medical care, so that one day maybe we won't have this abysmal statistic. It won't change everything, but if it makes a difference to someone else going through depression, then that's enough. If you have any free change, I would be incredibly grateful if you can donate. My goal is to raise $1000 that will help support ReachOut in providing mental health support to those in need. And please, let's keep the conversation going.
My Swim Progress
I've swum
26.70km (534 laps)
My Goal
31km
How do you compare to other participants?
Average Distance Swum: 9m
Average Distance Goal: 16KM
My Impact
So far this year I helped provide...
200
Young people with vital mental health support.
Fundraising Progress
Raised
$799
My Goal
$1,000
So far, you’ve raised 80% of your fundraising goal!
Raised
$0
My Team Goal
$0
So far, you’ve raised nan% of your fundraising goal!
Raised
$3,660,311
All Goal
$3,600,000
So far, you’ve raised 102% of your fundraising goal!
Thank you to my Sponsors
$208.60
Mum and dad
$135.04
Ann Drillich
Congratuations Elisha!!
$106.12
Rayna
You’ve got this you inspiring queen ❤️ we love you to bits!!
$106.12
Luisa
Go girl!!!!
$100
Audrey Teoh
Ellie you are super duper awesome! I love you!
$64.67
Joanne Tarpey
Good on you Elisha such a great thing to do x And Get fit at the same time 😊
$56.24
Lachie McDonald
You got this girl!!! Very inspiring what you're doing and i can't wait to see what you can do, and also to catch up soon! ❤️
$22.58
Way to go Ellie!!