Giacomo TATTOLI

I’m swimming this March for my friend Laura Simpson, and for her beautiful son, James. I did not know him. I have never met him. But the first time Laura shared her story with me, I was deeply moved in a way I struggle to put into words. It has stayed with me. It returns quietly, more often than I would like it to. I will not tell her story. It is not mine to tell. But I will say this. There are some questions that echo long after the conversation ends. The kind that sit with you in the stillness. The kind that so many carry each day. Why did they do it? This is not only about remembrance. It is about responsibility. Albeit a small target, I believe that every dollar we raise is to create awareness around an issue that too often lives in silence. To help destigmatise conversations that families are frightened to have. To equip parents and schools with the resources to identify, to support, to treat, and most importantly, to prevent. We must also look gently but honestly at systemic bullying and how it can be addressed. At the cultures we allow. At the behaviours we excuse. We need to ask ourselves, where does it stem from? What are we modelling? What are we tolerating? I urge you to remember that kindness cannot be optional. We never know what someone is carrying. We must not be the final, careless lash that becomes the cherry on top of someone else’s breaking point. I am doing this for Laura. For her peace. For her clarity. Most importantly, for a world where fewer parents are left asking the same question in the quiet. Why. All my love and hopes for a target hit, Giacomo.