peter
“I used to cycle down to my cousin’s almost every day after school, and one of those days I was pedalling down on an old sand path in the dark, head in the clouds when I suddenly saw three people in front of me. I didn’t get the time to use the brakes, so I knocked one of them down. At the time I didn’t know I’d spend the rest of my life with that person. We had twelve children and lost two of them. We lost one to cancer and the other to suicide. Only a year and a half apart. It was the most devastating time in our life, but we supported each other the whole way through. A new light came into our lives when we heard of Pieta House. We thought, okay, they’re doing an important job, so we wanted to help. I’ve been coaching athletics forever, so I thought it would be great to organise a fundraising walk or run. It wasn’t easy, but we really enjoyed doing it. After seeing over 500 people show up, we thought it was a remarkable success. Nine years on, organising Darkness Into Light is down to a fine art. It’s now done in over 150 venues all over the world. I never thought that one day I’d be standing in Phoenix Park looking at thousands of people, knowing that each and every one of them has something in common. It’s a wonderful feeling and it helped us deal with the loss of our sons a bit better. None of this would’ve been possible without my wife’s support. I’ve achieved a lot in my life, but if you ask me, I’d say knocking her down that night was the greatest achievement I ever made.”
– This post was highlighted by Pieta House, proudly supported by Electric Ireland.
Darkness Into Light is Pieta House’s flagship annual fundraising and awareness event. Wake Up and walk with us on Saturday 6th May and help Pieta House to promote suicide prevention and tackle the stigma that leads people to their doors. Register HERE!