Matthew Baraniuk Memorial
Donation protected
Matthew Alan Baraniuk died suddenly on May 20, 2020 at the young age of 20.
He was a loving son and brother, loyal friend and a gifted athlete. Matthew, Matt, Matty, MattyB was extremely dedicated and passionate towards those who he cared deeply for. He loved his family and pets and they in turn loved him immensely. Matthew exhibited strong, silent leadership in numerous ways in all his many sports teams. He stood up for the under dog and ensured all felt included and heard. His sense of humour and infectious smile will be remembered by many.
Matthew grew up with ADHD and in his high school and university years silently struggled with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately there were far too few supports available to Matthew during these times. His family tirelessly battled to try to find and access the right supports for him throughout his short life.
The world is just starting to open up to mental health challenges and tragically stigma and prejudice are still very much present. High-end athletes tend to have a lot of pressure placed upon them to perform and very little emphasis is placed on them as a person. A lot of existing supports, treatments and medications are based on research that was performed during a time when there was little understanding of mental health.
We would like to help advance mental health research and to provide needed supports for other young athletes who struggle with mental health issues. Funds from this campaign will be used to sponsor mental health research initiatives that target new methods for treatment of anxiety and depression as well as to establish a mental health mentorship group for athletes. We will also create a post-secondary scholarship in Matthew's name to honour his memory that will help provide an athlete entering post-secondary studies with some funding to support them in the big transition from high school to post-secondary.
He was a loving son and brother, loyal friend and a gifted athlete. Matthew, Matt, Matty, MattyB was extremely dedicated and passionate towards those who he cared deeply for. He loved his family and pets and they in turn loved him immensely. Matthew exhibited strong, silent leadership in numerous ways in all his many sports teams. He stood up for the under dog and ensured all felt included and heard. His sense of humour and infectious smile will be remembered by many.
Matthew grew up with ADHD and in his high school and university years silently struggled with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately there were far too few supports available to Matthew during these times. His family tirelessly battled to try to find and access the right supports for him throughout his short life.
The world is just starting to open up to mental health challenges and tragically stigma and prejudice are still very much present. High-end athletes tend to have a lot of pressure placed upon them to perform and very little emphasis is placed on them as a person. A lot of existing supports, treatments and medications are based on research that was performed during a time when there was little understanding of mental health.
We would like to help advance mental health research and to provide needed supports for other young athletes who struggle with mental health issues. Funds from this campaign will be used to sponsor mental health research initiatives that target new methods for treatment of anxiety and depression as well as to establish a mental health mentorship group for athletes. We will also create a post-secondary scholarship in Matthew's name to honour his memory that will help provide an athlete entering post-secondary studies with some funding to support them in the big transition from high school to post-secondary.
Organizer
Shari Baraniuk
Organizer
Saskatoon, SK
