Kay’s Story

Kay tells her story of how mental challenges affected her daughter and her

“I guess I was a bit scared because I didn’t really know much about mental challenges. The hardest was taking over looking after the kids which was just thrust on to me. It had a big impact on me like trying to bring up 5 little kids, working full time, getting up in the morning and like it has changed my whole life. Everyone is always telling me, oh you’re doing this and you’re doing that, you’re always looking after everybody else, but who is looking after you. And I say oh no one. I just carry on with everyday life, because I know I have to be there for my grand-kids, make things better for them because I know they have a rough time with their Mum.

One day I just got on the email and I just referred myself to HelpingMinds. I didn’t really know about HelpingMinds, I just really thought they were there for the people with the mental challenges. They do give me hope and they have already helped me in more ways than I expected you know. Probably just knowing that I got someone there to talk to now. I found that really good, that was really good and to get to know some of the other carers and just sit and talk.

What we say in that room, stays in that room it’s not going to go any further and that I can go there and open up I can say what I want. A lot of people are afraid to go to these sort of services, but we need to get it out there that its for anybody, just knowing that they are there and just a phone call away.