Puck Off for Mental Health – Kyle’s Walk
My name is Kyle Patterson from Calgary, AB. I have suffered from mental illness for most of my 24 year life. Anxiety and depression took over my life at one point and there is no worse feeling than that. A lot of my anxiety came from food allergies and I would always be on edge or afraid of having an allergic reaction. This led to me missing classes and social events for many days in a row. Depression followed soon after. I missed out on countless opportunities in my life due to this. There would be days and sometimes weeks when I didn’t have the strength to leave my own bedroom.
This all being said, things are going better for me due to the support of family and friends. The reason the fundraiser is called “Puck Off Mental Illness” is because I found that going to the hockey and lacrosse rink and playing sports with my friends was the best escape from the anxiety and depression. What I will be doing is a fundraiser to raise awareness and money for those who suffer from mental illness. I will be walking from Vancouver to Calgary and during this long walk I hope to raise as much awareness and money to help fight against this disease.
As I stated above, the purpose of the walk is to raise awareness and money to help fight against mental health issues. Raising awareness is much more important than people think. It helps those who suffer from this disease realize that talking to your family and friends is one of the best ways to deal with the disease. Whether you suffer from an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, or any other nasty thing, talking is an amazing part of being happy and healthy. Individuals need to know that there is always someone to talk to and that people care for them. By walking from Vancouver to Calgary, I hope to inspire those who are struggling with mental illness to speak up and tell loved ones that they are seeking someone to talk to.
Our Peer Support program services can be accessed over the phone at 403-297-1402 or through email at peer@cmha.calgary.ab.ca.