Friends’ marathon walk for mental health awareness
Four lifelong friends are taking a stand and walking in this weekend’s Coastrek after losing dozens of loved ones to suicide.
A GROUP of lifelong friends will set off on a marathon coastal walk on Friday to raise money for a cause close to their hearts.
Rebecca Draysey, Kate Walker, Susan Richards and Annie Steven will walk 30km as team “Fifty Shades of Pink” in their third Coastrek for Beyond Blue.
Ms Draysey, of Stonyfell, says the women were inspired to do the coastal walk from Victor Harbor to Goolwa after realising how much suicide and mental health had affected their lives.
“Mental health is a really important cause to all of us, it’s very close to our heart,” she says.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve been touched by suicide in particular and by mental health in the last few years.
“We sat down and wrote a list of all the people we know who have taken their own lives and we thought there might only be six or seven, and then we got to about 30 people and we were so shocked.”
The women will wear the names of the people they have lost to suicide during Friday’s walk.
“It’s been horrendous for us to know so many people that have taken their lives,” Ms Walker, of Woodforde, says.
“To look at that and see all those names really makes you think.
“It’s a really emotional experience and it’s brought us closer together as friends.”
Ms Draysey says the walk is an amazing experience and a chance for the team to honour their loved ones.
“We talk about them all the time but we do make a point to talk about them and think about them on the walk,” she says.
“I find it really emotional to talk about.
“It’s just horrible to think that eight people a day are taking their own lives and so many more people are thinking about it.”
The team aims to raise $10,000 for Beyond Blue.
Originally published as Friends’ marathon walk for mental health awareness
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