Vol Gas Voor Mind

The ever-growing group of people in society that face severe psychological issues inspired me to do my part into breaking open the conversation on mental/psychological health. My goal is to raise 1000 EUR for MIND (non-profit organization fighting for a psychologically healthier society) by taking part in an event called “Ironman 70.3" on Aug 28th.

Mental health is a key theme in modern society. Personally, I have had several people around me struggling with their mental health and I bet you do too. In some cases, poor mental health, or a lack of ability to speak about it/ work on improving it causes people to fall in crisis.

Not too long ago, I got confronted with the loss of someone that was far too young to pass away. On the outside, everything looked “perfect”. This person had what many consider “a great job”, healthy relationships, was physically appealing and in shape due to strong commitment to sports. At 25 years old, had travelled to many intriguing places the world has to offer and brought back those stories to share them with the large group of friends that accompanied this life. Even though everything seemed great from the outside, there was an immense struggle going on within this person. Nobody around had an idea of what was going on until it was too late. A struggle that had been secretly ongoing for years got amplified by the isolation of the pandemic and accelerated a process that resulted in the worst fear of every parent, friend, lover, sibling, colleague, and other significant people around. Unforeseen suicide is what hit us all and what left many to grieve.

This event on top of the ever-growing group of people in society that face similar issues inspired me to try my best to do my part into breaking open the conversation on mental/psychological health. My goal is to raise 1000EUR for MIND (a non-profit organization fighting for a psychologically healthier society). They are a key contributor in research, offer a help line for people young and old, and actively manage events and communities so people in need of mental health help can find support which the healthcare system so often seems to neglect.

My personal contribution will be to take part in an event called “Ironman 70.3” in Zell am See-Kaprun. This is a triathlon event for which I will complete a 1.9km open water swim, 90km bike ride with +850 altitude meters, and a 21.1km run (half marathon), in consecutive order. This event will be on August 28^th, 2022. Half a year ago, I had never swum competitively, had never ridden a racing bike and my running sucked big time! A lot of sweat and hard work has been invested since and I aim to complete the race within 6.5 hours.

I have collaborated with many parties and sponsors to make this happen and I am deeply grateful for the support so far. Now that the finish line is within sight, I am asking you to help me reach my goal by donating to the DoGood initiative I have posted here. Any amount you can miss can help another individual or communities to get more insight in mental health science, have easier access to support services, and improve “mental-health” awareness in general. For an exact overview of the initiatives donations contribute to, check this link: Wat doet MIND met de donaties? (doemeemetmind.nl)

On behalf of all people that might experience any relief from the help we can offer together: Thank you for YOUR contribution and I wish you all the best.