Happy Easter all! Hope you are having a glorious weekend whatever you are up to.
So this is a rare personal post, I might do a few more across the year because as a creative my personal and professional lives are pretty interwined, but this one is different as I wanted to publicise something my son is doing.
My son, Josh, is embarking on a crazy a summer of events to raise money for Mental Health UK and I wanted to tell you a little bit about it, from my perspective.
Josh has been playing rugby since he was 4. It is his lifeblood, his religion. Many of you who have loved ones who play rugby will know this mentality, but also know it comes with some serious risks.
And over time Josh has had more than his fair share of injuries – off the top of my head he has suffered a broken ankle, torn ankle ligaments, broken vertebrae, cracked ribs, subluxed shoulder, torn ACL, torn MCL, and I have blanked out the actual number of concussions he has had.
But such his love for this crazy, brutal sport – he rehabs as if his life depends on it so he can be back on the pitch as soon as possible.
Watching him play can be exhilarating. I love to watch him run the length of the pitch and score. He is the king of those champagne tries - I think they are called. But as anyone who watches someone they love play this brutal sport knows when they get injured you stand on the touchline praying they will get to their feet as quickly as possible. And when they don’t you feel beyond sick.
But I have realised over the years that this isn’t about me, or my irrational maternal worry and my worry about his physical health is just one small part of it. After suffering so many injuries and a number of concussions I could see his mood changing dramatically and whilst he didn’t often talk to me about how he was feeling, or what he was going through I knew he was dealing with a whole host of demons and for a long while, internalising them.
Nowadays, more than ever we are aware of mental health which is a wonderful thing, but I still feel there is a sense of bravado within men and certainly rugby boys to power through and not address how they are feeling.
Over the last few years, Josh has become very open and honest about his journey and his own mental health awareness. And I am immensely proud of him for planning these events to raise money for Mental Health UK. He has also asked me to join him on one of the “easier” events, but I have politely declined as not sure I am up to it!
Ever since Josh was little he has approached everything he wants to do with a great deal of determination, passion and commitment – so I wanted to share the link to his page with you.
I don’t think I have ever put anything like this up before, so if you feel inclined and I hope you do you could donate a little something. Thank you x
https://bit.ly/2UytmpH