Social prescribing team raises funds and awareness in memory of Emz
From left - social prescribers: Charly, Karen, Roz and Anne-Marie.
Social prescribers from Kettering, Corby and Oundle Surgeries are dressing up as elves and doing a 5k fun run to raise funds for mental health and suicide prevention charities.
Roz O' Sullivan, a social prescriber at Corby and Oundle, lost her beloved niece Emily earlier this year and so, when the team suggested taking part in the Mental Elf fun run, organised by Mind, Roz knew she wanted to do it to raise funds and awareness around Emily's mental health battles.
Emily, also known as Emz, was diagnosed with autism, ADHD and bipolar and struggled with her mental health, particularly during lock-down. Despite the sustained support of family and friends, Emz, an only child, tragically died in July this year aged just 21.
Her family want to keep her memory alive and prevent others having to go through the same ordeal, highlighting how young people, and especially girls, can mask their feelings, which can lead to devastating consequences.
Roz said: 'Julie, Emily's mum, and Emily tried every mental health facility but couldn't get anywhere, not because people didn't care, but because the services aren't equipped or trained to manage people with autism who are inherently introverted.
'The neurodiverse community hasn't been recognised within mental health as thoroughly as they could have been. I would have loved to have paused, picked Emily up and taken her forward ten years and said "Look, it will all even out. This will work for you."
'Emily was very, very unwell and everybody had attempted as much as they could to help. She was a wonderful person and the turnout at her funeral with so many young people and friends showed how deeply loved she was. Hers was a loss that should never have happened and so, we are determined to keep her name and legacy alive and do whatever we can to help others in the same situation. Me and my colleagues, Anne-Marie, Karen and Charley, are raising money to support Papyrus, a suicide prevention charity specifically aimed at young people and their families.'
To support this great cause click here: Fundraiser by Roz O'Sullivan : In Memory of Emily
The Mental Elf 5k run takes place at Wellingborough on Sunday 1 December at Irchester Country Park.