I have been involved with Lifeline for nearly 5 years now, and have been honoured over these years to see the difference that Lifeline makes. During my time with Lifeline I have been a telephone crisis supporter, an online crisis supporter, a Facilitator teaching new students, a Lifeline Spokesperson (for Stress Down Day, RU OK? Day, and The Greatest Athlete Challenge)  and will be in an upcoming ABC documentary on suicide.  Presently, I continue to do 2 overnight shifts each week with Lifeline and some media work, and will continue helping this amazing organisation as long as I continue to have something to offer!

In Australia, every day, 6 people will end their life through suicide. That makes suicide the biggest killer for people aged 15-45. Bigger than road tolls, bigger than heart disease, bigger than cancer… I am not going to throw stats at you though. Given these numbers, I would imagine that everyone reading this has had their life touched by suicide in some way.

Lifeline is an organisation that has been preventing suicide and offering crisis support for 50 years. We are free to access, available to everyone, non-judgemental and anonymous. We are also here to listen, to remind people that they are not alone, that help is available, and that their life is worth saving. Being on the ‘front line’, I have been able to witness the remarkable work that Lifeline does in saving lives everyday. This is a cause that I devote much of my time to and a topic that I am very passionate about. I do not believe that anyone should have to feel as though taking their life is the only option left, and I do not believe that people should feel as though they are alone in facing their challenges. I believe that everybody deserves support through difficult times and protection from this cruel killer. That is what Lifeline provides.

And so I am approaching you and asking for your generous support for this cause. Please sponsor me and help me raise funds to allow Lifeline to continue saving lives.

If you would like to know more about Lifeline, please visit our website (www.lifeline.org.au), or ask me any questions you may have. As ever, if you are in need of support please reach out to us, either through our 13 11 14 crisis line (24/7), or through the online crisis support available on our website (8pm – Midnight).

If you would like to know why I am doing something as crazy as taking on the Kokoda Trail, please keep reading…

I actually heard about this Challenge at about 2.30am during one of my shifts, and signed up in a moment of sleep-deprived impulse! Best decision ever. My grandfather spent a significant portion of his life in PNG, and my father was raised there. They have both always wanted me to travel to PNG, to experience the country and to gain some understanding of the significance of this place in their lives.  My grandfather has also relied on Lifeline during difficult periods in his life, and I am eternally grateful for the support he received, and proud to know that the organisation I volunteer for was able to help my own family through rough times.

The online service in particular holds a special place in my heart. In 2011, I was part of a very small team of volunteers who were trialling the crazy new idea of offering ‘online support’ for those in crisis – something that had never been tried in Australia before. Our job was to see if the service was needed, if it was useful, and if it should be offered as a permanent service. The resounding answer that we got to these questions was ‘YES!’ More than half of the people accessing the online service were at ‘high risk’ of suicide, and over a third of them would not consider using the telephone crisis support line. So that is a huge portion of people who were able to receive support that otherwise would have gone without. And, importantly, nearly 80% (78%) of people reported feeling  better after using the service. As a result of this trial, our online support is now a permanent service that Lifeline will continue to offer.

It was during this time that I was mugged on my way home after Lifeline one night. I was attacked quite brutally, and was dragged across the pavement, kicked in the head, and stomach. Physically, it took me a long time to recover from this. Emotionally, I am still recovering. For a very long time after this attack, I was afraid to walk alone. I was afraid to walk in unfamiliar places, in familiar places, in the dark, during the day… Pretty much everything about the idea of being exposed on a footpath was scary for me. I am much better now, thanks to all of the support I received from wonderful friends, family and Lifeline co-workers. A big part of my recovery was forcing myself to not give in to my fear. I wanted to keep on doing the work I was doing with Lifeline to bring in Online Support because I could see how important it was. And so I kept going back, despite being scared, because it was important to me that those in need have access to help.

And so, to me, this seems to be a beautifully poetic way of showing how far I have come – from being scared to walk around the block by myself to conquering the Kokoda Trail. And being able to do this to raise money for the Online Service makes it even more meaningful.

So here I am, preparing to trek Kokoda in order to honour my grandfather, to prove that I am strong despite past challenges, and because Lifeline is an incredible organisation which does amazing work and needs all the help it can get.

Please do donate generously if you are able to.