Running for Jack: Supporting Men's Mental Health

07.03.22 marks the date my best friend Jack Farrell left us suddenly. Jack never failed to light up the room with his fun, joyful energy. It was the ordinary things every day that made him extraordinary.

Jack was studying Health Science in Dunedin, aspiring to be in the medical field to pursue his passion for helping others. Sadly, life took an unexpected turn for him.

Sadie Walker, Olivia Nichol, Millie Semmens, Annabelle Chanwai,, Holly Hunn and I, Alice Balle, are running the Dunedin half marathon. This is the race that Jack and my mother, Christine Balle, were supposed to run together in 2021, but COVID-19 prevented that. We are running in Jack's honour and to support men's mental health through the Movember charity, aiming to prevent men from taking their lives.