Hi my name is Chloe and on May 17th, 2026, I’ll be running the Run Shellharbour Half Marathon. This is something I’ve imagined doing for years but never believed I could.

I’ve decided that now is the time.

I have 5½ months to train, prepare, grow and commit to something bigger than myself because this run isn’t just about fitness. It is about healing, honouring and giving back in a way that feels so deeply personal.

On the 7th January 2017 my son lost his father to suicide.

I still remember receiving that phone call like it was yesterday. Grief really changes you. Losing someone to suicide shifts the way you understand life, pain and what it means to struggle silently.

After many years of doing my own inner work and finding real peace within myself. I finally believe that anything is possible.

This run is for my son,

for his father,

and for every single person who has been touched by suicide, whether through losing someone they love or through their own battle with mental health.

I’m also running this in honour of my clients, the incredibly strong children, young people and adults I support. Many of them live with the impacts of trauma, loss, abandonment and lifelong adversities. They show up every session doing the hard work of healing. This run is for them too!

I’ve chosen to fundraise for Suicide Prevention Australia because they are the national peak body leading suicide prevention work across our country. Their work includes national research into risk factors and stigma, the State of the Nation report that tracks sector challenges, policy and advocacy focused on early intervention and lived experience leadership and accreditation programs that help services deliver safe and effective care.

In Australia, suicide remains a devastating public health issue.

In 2024, 3,307 lives were lost to suicide which is roughly one person every three hours. For every life lost, many more people attempt suicide and countless others live with distress, trauma and the ripple effects of loss.

Recent national findings show that childhood trauma is linked to 41 percent of suicide attempts in Australians aged 16 to 85. This matters deeply to me both personally and professionally because so many of the people I support carry childhood trauma and the battle they continue to fight is one most people never see.

Running this half marathon is my way of saying I see you, I honour you, and I believe in change.

It is also a way of honouring those who didn’t get the chance to stay.

If you feel called to support this fundraiser, whether it is five dollars or fifty, it would mean the world. Every dollar goes directly towards suicide prevention research, programs, advocacy and community support across Australia.

Thank you for standing with me, my son, his father’s memory, his father’s family, my clients and everyone who has ever been touched by suicide.