So first I promised an out line of my plans. But to understand these I think I should tell my back story first. This summer just gone I finished my third and final year of my maths degree at Cambridge. I had originally planned to go on to study a masters in Systems Biology at Cambridge this current year. Things didn't quite work out that way.
MY STORY
For a long time I have been an avid rower (a little over 8 years but who's counting?). All that time I had long dreamed of rowing for Cambridge against Oxford. Now ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you aiming for the actual Boat Race would be just a little too ambitious. However, Cambridge and Oxford have a Lightweight Boat Race too. In my final year I decided to trial for Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club and was surprised with how well things went. I made it all the way to March and was still in contention for a seat in the final 8-man boat to race Oxford on the 30th March 2014 ( a date so etched into my brain that I'll never forget it). Hopefully I'll have the time in the future to tell the story of my trialling and explain a bit about lightweight rowing. Suffice to say with under a month to go my dream was within reach.
This all came to a crushing end at 10am on Tuesday 11th March. At this time I was cycling to lectures in the morning when I was hit by a car and knocked off of my bike. I went to A&E and was told I had separated my shoulder. Rowing was out of the question for at least 2 months and there was a chance I might need surgery (thankfully it wasn't that bad in the end). I went through a barrage of X-rays and inspections. I'm not ashamed to say I cried once I was left alone in A&E. My dream had gone, almost a year of training was wasted. That day my life changed.
In the following weeks I supported my fellow triallists as best as I could. And I celebrated with them when they absolutely destroyed Oxford on the 30th. Then I went home and had time to let things settle in. I had missed out, I couldn't row, I'd lost my biggest passion. I really really struggled. I returned to college to start preparing for exams in late April. Up until this point in the year I had been maintaining a strong academic performance, much like in my first two years. I needed a 2.1 to come back for my masters and by all measures this should have been possible. But that all changed.
Within a few days of returning to college it was clear something was wrong with me. My driven motivated self was missing. I went to the GP with my mum and sat as she explained how I felt since I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had reached out to her the previous day and she rushed to my side and made me see my GP. I sat and cried and my mum explained. And that was it, I was officially depressed. I started on a course of anti-depressants.
In the end things got better, but time waits for no man, and I was incredibly under-prepared for my exams. I came out with a 2.2 and missed my offer. I'm now waiting on an appeal to return for a masters next year. But as it stands I now have an unscheduled year out of education. I might elaborate on my illness in a later blog post, but take my word for it, you would not wish depression on anyone. No matter what. It is a horrible, all-encompassing illness. Not an excuse for laziness, not a state of mind you can chose to have or not have, but simply an illness.
Sorry for the essay. The main points are these: I was ill. I missed my offer. I have an unscheduled year out of education.
MY PLAN
So I have a year out to do with as I please. What should I do? Well part of the effects of my depression was my stopping regular exercise. I got out of shape. Hence I'd like to use this year to get fit again. Not only this but in my state of illness I came to really appreciate the difference that the support of others can make. I know there's a reasonable chance I wouldn't have made it through my depression without the support of those close to me. So for that I will always be thankful. Thanks Mum and Dad, you were always there for me no matter what, I love you. Also thank you Rob and Sam, you didn't pressure me, you just gave me the support I needed to get better.
Sorry for the intermission, back to my plans. I have been inspired by what support can do for those suffering from mental illness. As such I wanted to give something back to those who give that support in the hope that it can help others who are suffering. Hence I decided to take on some sporting challenges in the hope I could raise money for a great charity called Mind (see later for more on them).
I've always enjoyed dabbling with road cycling so I decided to start there. I signed up as a member of team Mind to ride the Ride-London event next August. This is the nominal event for which I am raising money (but all my events are done with the hope of raising sponsorship). This is a 100 mile cycle over a lot of the Olympic cycling route and by no means an easy challenge. For more info see here.
No sooner did I sign up for this then I had another idea. I decided to sign up for the London Triathlon (see more here). This was a very bold move on my behalf. I've never been much of a runner and I've never swum in open water. In fact at the time of speaking I've only swum a maximum of 100m in one go. I've signed up for the 'sprint' distance. This is half of an Olympic length triathlon and so consists of 750m swimming, 20km cycling and then 5km running. Also this race is ONLY 6 DAYS after my 100 mile cycle. It's going to be a challenge. Only time will tell if this was a brave or a foolish idea on my behalf. But yes, I'm going to be doing a lot of swimming this year.
I will also be signing up for a lot of smaller scale events in the run up to practise and get fitter. I'll keep you updated on these here on this blog. But I've never done a multi-discipline event before so this is going to need practice (A slight lie as this post is over due, see my next two posts). Anyway suffice to say I will be training hard and doing a lot this year to support my cause.
MY MOTIVATION (aka why Mind?)
I've already explained this in the most part. I suffered with depression. I now have a year to do with as I please. I want to help others. So why Mind?
Mind is a truly amazing charity. They do a lot of work to support and help those with mental illness. They also provide support and information for people helping to support those close to them who have mental illness. Mind were a great help to me in my worst days. They helped me understand my condition and made it easier to explain it to those close to me. I could go on and on about how amazing they are but this post is already long enough. Anyway the whole point of this story and my year is this: I am taking part in a whole bunch of physical challenges to raise money and support for Mind.
If you want to donate to my cause to support mind please do (I'll be eternally grateful). But even if you do not want to, I urge you please to take the time to check out Mind's Website. If nothing else please read about just one illness. Knowledge is power and, in the case of mental illness, can be lifesaving. The stigma associated with mental illness is long out-dated. 1 in 4 of us will suffer at the hands of mental illness and yet when we are most in need society makes us feel our most out-cast. Mind does a lot of work to help break this stigma and make mental illness a matter for everyone to concern themselves with, like other major illnesses. SO PLEASE, if nothing else, just a read a bit about mental health. You never know, one day it might help you save a life.
I want to thank you for reading through my essay. It really means a lot to me. With your help we can change the way mental illness is treated for the better. Any support you want to give me will be met with open arms and a beaming smile. If you want to learn more about my experience, or about mental health in general, please get in touch. I am more than happy to share as much of my experience and knowledge as possible in the hope it can help people in the future. Thanks again for your time.
Should you want you can make a donation here:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=JonathanWilliams28
Jon
Loving this Jono, if all else fails, become a journalist! Best of luck with the fund raising - an amazing cause!
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