20/07/2026
On the 29th of August , Hollie and I will be taking on a skydive to raise funds for Pieta and the life saving work they do.
That date also marks what would be mine and Matthew's 12th wedding anniversary.
I was fortunate enough to reach my fundraising target before, but thanks to the unpredictable Irish weather 🙃 and then unexpected, serious health issues, my skydive was cancelled. So... here we go again.
It's impossible to put into words what Pieta has meant to my family.
When Matthew first attempted to take his own life in May 2020, Pieta helped keep him with us. They supported him, and they guided us as a family through one of the most difficult times of our lives.
After Matthew died, we were immediately supported by a Pieta liaison who spent so much time with us. She recognised that the grief and trauma I was carrying after finding Matthew, alongside my own su***de attempt, meant I needed more support. She helped me access therapy before I reached another crisis.
Pieta saved my life.
Pieta offers 12 hours of free therapy sessions, but what people don't always realise is that they never turn their backs on those who genuinely need more help. I received support for a year and a half, with the option of continuing if I needed it. Their crisis helpline was there whenever I needed it day or night. It was a lifeline I relied on more than once over the past three years.
Mental health services in this country are stretched beyond belief, and there's still so much stigma surrounding mental illness. But I can honestly say, as someone who has lived through unimaginable loss, who has battled my own mental health, who has witnessed the devastation su***de leaves behind, who wants to build a better world for our children, and who has worked alongside Pieta through events like Darkness Into Light.
They are phenomenal.
Their work doesn't just change lives it saves them.
Some people focus on the fact that Matthew still died.
What they don't see are the three precious years that Pieta gave us after his first attempt. Three years filled with love, laughter, adventures, memories, and, most importantly, the arrival of our beautiful Éabha Grace, who brought so much joy and light into our lives.
Those years mattered.
They mattered more than words can ever express.
The heartbreaking truth is that none of us are immune to this. I once believed it could never happen to us. I was wrong.
Please be kind. Check in on your people. Keep supporting the organisations that fight every single day to keep our loved ones here.
And please remember this people in crisis rarely tell the people they love how bad things really are. They're often terrified of being a burden.
Pieta is there when they feel they have nowhere else to turn.
If you're able to support our skydive fundraiser whether by donating or simply sharing this post it would mean more than I can ever say.
Thank you for helping us support an organisation that has given so many families, including mine, hope when they needed it most. ❤️
Now light that candle. Hollies braver than me but it's safe to say she'll be pushing me out of the plane 😝🤣😬
https://gofund.me/6f79cdd60
