Brianna Smart

this October i’m doing 500km to raise money for the black dog foundation and mental illnesses. this is something i’ve always wanted to do but i’ve spent a really long time being embarrassed and ashamed to speak about because i have bipolar type 2 and severe clinical depression. this is something ill live with for the rest of my life and thanks to the people i surrounded myself with i’ve finally started to realise that i don’t need to be ashamed of my mental illnesses and speaking about it is a good thing. i first hand know how insanely expensive treatment for mental illnesses can be and how the lack of education around them plays a huge factor into how we view them. so i’m doing this challenge to raise funds so young australian’s don’t feel the way i used to and hopefully help at least one person take the first step at seeing the good parts of life. everyone sees the pretty parts of my life not the locking myself in a room for three months or countless trips to the ER and hospital so i hope me sharing this story inspires you to help as well even if that’s doing a short walk each day or making a donation awareness and support is truly what matters when it comes to mental illnesses this wasn’t easy for me to share or talk about but speaking about it is the first step to change so any donations are greatly appreciated come support me and all the other australian struggling with mental illnesses.