Joel Thompson is determined to make a difference to reduce the rates of suicide
He has made a name for himself as an NRL star but Joel Thompson, having lost too many people close to him to suicide, is on a mission to save lives.
NRL
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As he sat in his loungeroom watching the funeral of his cousin via videolink, Joel Thompson realised this was the third relative or close friend he had lost to suicide in a decade.
Struggling to hold back his tears, the hard-running NRL forward said he was even more determined to continue his mission to save lives.
“It’s devastating,’’ Thompson said. “My last memories of her (Desrae Jones) were having a good laugh and she was always someone that lit up the room.
“To know that she didn’t feel she had a place left in the world, that’s what keeps driving my passion.’’
Thompson also lost cousin Daniel Charles in 2016 and recently lost close mate Joseph Rose, whose family helps fund information booklets Thompson hands out while working for the NRL’s Mindset program.
When the NRL season finishes, Thompson will not be sunning himself on a beach but instead will cover hundreds of kilometres across country NSW to areas where the rate of suicide continues to rise.
In November, Thompson – who has played 234 NRL games for Canberra, St George-Illawarra and Manly – will meet senior members of local communities and give talks on mental health and professional help in towns such as Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Goolgowi and his hometown Ivanhoe.
“Why do I have such a passion? Because I’m continuing to lose family members and I’m seeing the destruction throughout the community,’’ he said.
“I’ve seen my own family be affected by mental health and I have my own story too. Mine is a very common one with men; you suffer alone, you don’t get help, you want this tough image and that’s what kept me from getting help early on in my life.
“It was only from a big breakdown and my partner (Amy) – who is my wife now – 10 years ago, forced me to go and speak to a professional.
“It’s obviously helped me and I think it’s important to keep being that voice for others.
“For a kid that came from the bush, from a remote community, losing family members and family struggling through mental health, I feel it’s important for me to play my part and do what I can.
“I’m going to be doing some workshops out in rural NSW at some places where people have contacted me about their high numbers of suicide. I’m going to provide resources, share my story and get people to speak. I want people there who are engaged in the community to talk about what they can do together to fight the stigma and help slow the rate of suicide.
“It’s important to get the conversation started in these places and also have the community engaged about what they can do. It’s not about me just coming to town, speaking and then leaving. I want them to work together in the mental health space to reduce the numbers.’’
Thompson said he had been captivated by The Sunday Telegraph’s Can We Talk? campaign, adding that awareness and discussion was the best defence to confronting mental health and suicide.
“The ‘why’ can be so complex,’’ he said. “I don’t have all the answers but I know one thing that is important. It’s important to show people that it’s OK to seek help.
“And it is also about connection and being a good listener.
“If you know someone is struggling, sit and listen. I’ve had players that have been in contact with me over the years – some that have surprised me, to be honest.
“It’s always been about me telling them: ‘It’s OK.’
“It shows me how important it is for me to do what I’m doing.’’