“To keep his memory alive” – Glen’s story

Glen very sadly lost his son to suicide. To honour his son’s 30^th birthday, Glen has chosen to fundraise for Rethink Mental Illness.

My youngest son, Adam, took his own life three years ago after a long journey with severe depression. His depression manifested as a relentless cycle of feeling overwhelmed and anxious, then sliding into a deep, dark depressive episode that could last months. It broke my heart and living without Adam has been hard.

During his care, I noticed that professionals only ever offered pills or talking therapies. I’d like frontline mental health professionals to help patients and their carers explore a range of complimentary treatments and lifestyle changes.

I now volunteer as part of an Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Trust group, promoting the benefits of a more holistic approach to managing mental health. This includes things like: volunteering, improved nutrition and sleep, mindfulness and meditation, exercise, immersing yourself in nature. I’m passionate about the benefits of a holistic approach to improving mental health and feel that Rethink understands the important role this can play in someone’s wellbeing. I wanted to support a charity aligned with my own thinking. 

As his 30th birthday approached, I wanted to raise money for Rethink and take on a real challenge in his honour. I’d never run further than 10k before and thought: hey, I’m on the right side of 65, why not run my first half-marathon? By fundraising for Rethink, I thought I could help someone who is going through what Adam experienced. It also helps me to keep his memory alive.

Running the Bath Half in Adam’s memory, whilst wearing my funky Rethink vest, felt wonderful. I’m sure Adam helped me get around the course. The Rethink team also made it easy. They offered me encouragement, congratulated me as my numbers went up and gave me ideas for further fundraising.

I finished in under two and a quarter hours, raising around £3000, thanks to the generosity of so many friends and family. No world record then, but I did this for Adam, Rethink and myself. It felt cathartic. In fact, I’ve come to love running. It’s had a profound effect on my mood, energy levels and enthusiasm for life. I think Adam would be proud of me, or of Captain Fatheridge, as he liked to call me. 

I ran the first part with a friend, Emma, who was running in memory of her brother. Her son, Ryan also ran, but we didn’t see him for dust! We weren’t the fastest by any means, but we felt proud to be honouring our loved ones and grateful for the work charities do. 

Although, it took me a few days to get over the bruised toenails and aching legs, it felt great to have done it and fantastic to have raised so much money in Adam’s memory. I hope that my efforts help Rethink ease someone’s suffering and I hope they continue to champion a holistic approach to helping people.