the bigmoose ultra fun run 2027 has landed. walk it, run it, take on your own distance and be part of something bigger. every mile helps fund life-changing mental health support.
find out more the bigmoose ultra fun run 2027 has landed. walk it, run it, take on your own distance and be part of something bigger. every mile helps fund life-changing mental health support.
find out more
it’s monday morning.
simon’s house is still dark and quiet, and he wakes at 6am.
he takes a deep breath and smiles as he watches his wife still sleeping peacefully.
he leaves the room, careful not to wake her.
he quietly walks down the hallway towards his six year old daughter maisie’s room.
the walls are painted a soft lavender, dotted with stickers of stars and ballet dancers.
she’s still asleep, so simon leans over to kiss her goodbye.
as he turns to leave, he trips on something.
its maisie’s tiny pink ballet bag.
he smiles to himself, remembering her ballet recital is on wednesday.
she’s been practising for months.
in the kitchen, the house is still silent.
the faint hum of the fridge is the only sound.
he pours cereal into a bowl, adds milk, and eats slowly.
he scrolls through his phone, the light illuminating his face as he scans the usual messages, emails and notifications.
his mind drifts to the day ahead, the construction site, the jobs he needs to check, the deadlines he needs to meet.
by the front door, he bends down to put on his steel cap boots before stepping out into the crisp, dark morning.
quietly he closes the door behind him on the only light in his life.
he gets into his van, starts the engine, and switches on the heating.
he sits for a moment, watching the frost slowly melt on the windscreen.
in that stillness, the dark thoughts begin to creep in again.
that he can’t go on like this.
that maybe it would be easier if he wasn’t here.
that everyone would probably be better off without him anyway.
it’s a heavy weight, and he doesn’t even know how to begin to explain it to those around him.
at the construction site, he steps out and greets his team with a smile.
they joke about the weekend, the deliveries, the work ahead.
simon laughs along, brushing it off. but lately, it’s getting harder and harder to pretend everything’s okay.
simon’s been struggling for a while.
a few months ago he got the courage to reach out for help, but he was immediately put on a waiting list.
six months later, he’s still waiting. still struggling. still feeling alone.
he gets through the start of the week and wednesday arrives, the day of maisie’s recital.
she walks out onto the stage, head held high, beaming at the audience.
she looks into the crowd for her dad, but the chair reserved for him is empty.
she waits, expecting to see him, for him to wave and cheer as he normally would.
but he isn’t there.
what maisie doesn’t know is that last night when simon said goodnight it was for the final time.
this morning, simon took his own life.
as maisie grows up, the ballet recitals she once loved become something she dreads, seeing that empty chair never gets easier.
as she gets older, she begins to wish she could have seen how much he was struggling, if only she could have done something to help.
—
now, let’s go back to monday and see how things could have been different.
simon is struggling, really thinking about ending his life.
after the typical Monday morning banter, one colleague notices he’s quieter than usual and asks how he’s doing.
simon tries to brush it off, as he normally does.
but this time, the colleague gently asks again and says … “it’s okay if you’re not okay.”
that’s when simon breaks.
he shares how hard it’s been, and how he’s been thinking about suicide.
his colleague listens, without judgement, and then he does something that changes everything.
he tells him about bigmoose.
a mental health charity with no waiting list or criteria, just fast and accessible help.
simon reaches out, and within a couple of hours he’s surprised to receive a reply back from the bigmoose team.
the message is so kind, so understanding, and for the first time he feels a glimpse of hope.
on wednesday morning, he’s sat in front of a bigmoose therapist.
he’s nervous, unsure it will help, but almost immediately he feels understood in a way he never has before.
he begins to learn tools he can use in his everyday life, he knows there’s a long road ahead, but now he is ready to start the journey.
as he leaves the session, he checks the time and realises the recital is about to start.
just as maisie steps onto the stage, simon takes his seat.
her face lights up instantly, grinning from ear to ear.
as he watches her dance, tears fill his eyes, knowing how close he was to not being here today.
—
that therapy session cost bigmoose just £100.
£100 to change a life.
£100 for simon to see he wasn’t alone.
£100 to start someone’s journey.
this was louise’s talk last friday, and it saw the room of 280 mainly men, lots reduced to tears, make donations of just under £7k.
congrats lou.
i wanted to share it with you, as i think it is very powerful, and if this good friday you would like to help us to help others like simon you can donate below.
blue skies,
jeff
c
