- Friends & Family
- Mental Health
Submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Sadie is a passionate runner and tries to run almost every weekend. Every weekend, she runs at least a 5K, often longer distances, working toward a half marathon for this October. “It’s gonna be a long summer, especially in the heat of South Florida,” explains Sadie. She has been running for almost three years and she loves the progress she is making.
This weekend she saw the Heroes in Recovery 6K advertised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and thought that it is a great cause to run for. She considers awareness for addiction and mental health issues very important. The stigma surrounding these issues is still strong, and it will need combined efforts of many people on different levels to get knowledge and awareness to the entire population. Mental health issues impact so many lives that we can’t ignore them.
Sadie has a cousin that went overseas a few years back and returned home with a severe case of PTSD. Her cousin is in his 40s, doesn’t want to talk much about it, and is isolating himself from the family. Sadie has not seen him for many years now, and she believes that this is caused by his problems. Sadie and her brother keep being supportive and routinely reach out to him to remind him that they are available in case he would like any help. It’s sad for her that she feels unable to do more for him, but she hopes that he will reach out when he is in need.
When Sadie was in college, some of her friends experienced addiction problems. “I believe there are periods in which most people go toward alcohol, prescription drugs or even illegal drugs. Some of them grow out of it without any dependency or addiction, but some of them get stuck and need help to get out again,” Sadie states.
No one else in her immediate family had trouble with mental health conditions or addiction and she is certain that this is uncommon, as so many struggle and so many families are affected by it. “I’m excited to participate in this run today and hope that the fight to break the stigma will continue and the movement will grow,” finishes Sadie.