Mo Bro Kieran shared his journey of turning personal loss into meaningful purpose though a 48-hour Movember challenge. See how Kieran's love for running helps him manage his own mental health:
My mother’s new partner entered our lives about 6 years ago after getting to know my mother through a hiking group. He had already been battling prostate cancer for nearly 20 years at that point, enduring various rounds of chemotherapy treatments.
Back then, chemotherapy wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and it took a severe toll on his life and well-being. He suffered through multiple treatments, which not only failed to eliminate the cancer but actually spread it to other parts of his body. Sadly, we lost him two years ago. Despite never achieving complete remission, he defied all expectations and doctors’ predictions.
He maintained his fitness and was an avid runner even before his cancer diagnosis. He often spoke about running as a means to improve not only his physical health but also his mental well-being. His dedication inspired me to take up running, and he spent many days helping me fine tuning my running form.
During that time, I also experienced the loss of a friend, Karl to a brain tumour, Karl kept swimming up to a week before his death which showed that you have to enjoy being able to do the things that make you happy as long as you can. I then continued running even longer distances as I felt the sheer privilege of being able to do so. Running became deeply intertwined with these significant people in my life and now serves as a means of managing my own mental health.
This year, I’ve decided to take it a step further and connect my passion for running with Movember to raise money for men’s mental health through a running challenge. During the third week of November, I plan to run four kilometres every four hours for 48 hours. My goal is to remind people that mental health struggles are an ongoing battle that affect individuals throughout the day and even as they try to sleep at night.
Sign up or donate: ie.movember.com