Together in the Journey – Kimberly’s Story

Apr 26, 2024

For over 10 years I have been involved in the Shopper’s Run for Women. Through the run I have learned just how many people need support out there…

On April 4, 2021, the need for support hit home. My son came to my husband and I sharing that he had been struggling with his mental health.  On the surface he was doing well in school, he had a job, a car, a girlfriend, and a great group of friends, little did we know he was suffering in silence.  During this time he was supporting a couple of his friends who had recently lost parents, he was taking on their pain as his own.  He thought he could handle it all and take on the emotions but became distraught one night when on his own.  We are so incredibly grateful he came to us and talked about what he was experiencing, we became his safe space. During this he always was worried what people would think, what we would think, but he still came forward.  At 18 years old, and I am fortunate he wanted us to be part of his healthcare journey and with counseling, doctors, and support, he began to heal and understand what he needed to do to be happy again.

We all as humans often put on a façade that everything is ok and since the pandemic mental health has become a bit more of a mainstream conversation, but for many people, to come to someone person to person, it can be tough to admit you need help. 

If someone does reach out to you, be there for them. You don’t know what your impact can be as you don’t know what person is going through. Be kind, be an ally.  It’s a saying which has brought so much more importance to me.   

As an ally you can’t be afraid, it is about listening and working to help them get the help they need. If someone trusts you to tell you what they are going through, you need to be there. I am grateful as a mom to see where my son is now, it’s been 3 years of work.  I never realized how much of an impact one person can have on someone in that moment when they are reaching out for help, anyone can make a difference. Grab their hand and hold it and guide them. When he reached out to us, I don’t think I have ever seen someone so vulnerable, and he trusted us to tell us what he was experiencing. After receiving support through counseling, doctors and pharmacists, for him to finally say he feels happy was the best gift anyone could have given me.

Now as I participate in the Shopper’s Run for Women, I know what others have faced, whether you were a supporter or the one struggling. I can and will empathize, provide an ear and become an ally for those who are need it. The Run is an amazing event and when you are listening to a personal mental health story with 1,500 others also attending the run, I now can relate to it because I have been there myself, I’ve supported someone, my son, who has been there.

Every person who participates in the Run for Women walks away with why they signed up for the run and why they should sign up again next year, the more we can touch the community at the heart the better.

Collectively as a community we need to support one another, the more we can show people that being an ally isn’t a scary thing the better. We are in this together.

To register or donate to the Shopper’s Run for Women, visit: Run for Women – Run for Women