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A cause I care about needs your support

I have always told myself, "I am too young to have real mental health problems.” Yet, I have been experiencing issues with mental health for a while now.

Throughout the years, I have suffered from anxiety and depression. The fear of what my friends and family would think if I voiced this personal issue was beyond frightening. The fear of being seen as “less than” in the eyes of the people that I loved and cared about most was a heavy weight on my shoulders.

Coming from an Italian background, my grandparents immigrated to Canada with nothing. Due to this, I have always convinced myself that my problems are “not that bad” in the grand scheme of things – since they had it much worse than I did. I remember sitting at the dinner table with my grandfather and he said: "Life is beautiful but it's hard." Every time he would say those words, I would think of how much of a failure I am compared to him, since he was able to create something out of nothing. And here I am – with all of these luxuries and opportunities at my fingertips, terrified that I will end up being a disappointment in the end.

When I stated to attend university, that is the time that my condition gradually worsened. The constant pressure of having to excel in each course and receive a good grade on my exams led to numerous instances of panic attacks and moments where I felt alone in classes filled with hundreds of students. When I experienced these instances of isolation, I would go above and beyond for my friends and family to make sure they were okay, since at that point in my life, I believed that I did not deserve to be happy. This led me to lose meaningful people due to my inner-obsession with pleasing others. My fixation with putting others' needs and wishes over my own pushed away the people I truly cared about. By continually putting myself in situations where I would be unhappy, to see someone close to me flourish, slowly worsened my condition and made me feel as though I was the passenger in my own life.

Fortunately, over the past several months, I have made a lot of progress with my condition. I am happier and healthier than I have ever been. I would always tell myself that there is light in the darkest of tunnels, and luckily, I have finally found it. Although I am fortunate that I am doing much better with my conditions, many people suffer from mental disorders that need our help. Therefore, I decided to run the 2020 International OASIS Marathon of Montreal in order to raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association to help people who are suffering with mental illness. This will be a great opportunity to push both my mind, and my body, further than ever before. It will allow me to show people that their current situation does not define who they are as a human being. Dream big, fight for what you believe in and anything is possible.

Any donation will help make an impact. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause, as it holds a very personal meaning to me.

Cheers,
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $50 
    • 3 yrs
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Organizer

Alessandro Tesolin
Organizer
Laval, QC
Canadian Mental Health Association
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically tax deductible in Canada.

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