Expedition d2e

This story is about a man called John Dennis (that’s me). John suffers from depression. But until two years ago he just hadn’t realised. His wife, Heidi, noticed it first. He just wasn’t the same and it became more and more noticeable to everyone else. But John just couldn’t see it himself, and I’m sure that’s something a lot of us can relate to. It’s been an often painful journey of self-discovery for John, after his initial diagnosis from his doctor two years ago, and an uphill struggle to understand how this affects him and countless others. His initial refusal to accept his condition, he believes, comes from the stigma and taboo associated with mental illness and people’s unwillingness to discuss it.

Since then, John has become increasingly active about spreading awareness of depression, trauma and mental illness. Talking about his own experience and encouraging people to open up and talk about issues which are often ignored or brushed under the carpet because they make us feel uncomfortable. He continues to raise awareness and funds for charities that help people of all ages through depression and trauma, which is where Expedition Dare 2 Express was born.

Fulfilling a childhood dream, testing his limits and ultimately drawing attention to a condition that affects at least 1 in 4 people globally today, John is attempting a solo, unaided expedition to the South Pole to raise awareness for people just like him, covering 690 miles (1100 km) in about 45 days, all going well. And he needs your help. John needs to cover the operational costs associated with an undertaking of this magnitude. All proceeds will be going to fund his logistics, by a company called ALE (Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions) making him as safe on the ice as humanly possible.

Please, watch his video message, share his story on social media and donate what you can. Thank you.

John needs to raise a final total of £38000 for the logistics to make his journey, from conception to reality. We've had some great support from companies, but now we need the help of the kind public to help get this over the line.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story.

Here are a couple of videos that we've done along the way.