Kirwan knighted for health work
I am not usually one to pay much attention to the Royal Family, the Queen - or her birthday. I grew up in America where the closest thing we have to a Royal Family are the Kennedys - and no one really wants to be part of that family.
Queen's Birthday weekend has always just been a tragic reminder that three months of freezing my butt off had begun - and an extra day off - to me.
I am making an exception to my attitude that everything to do with the Queen is silly today after hearing that John Kirwan has been knighted.
Just as with any form of addiction - depression is an illness that carries a large amount of shame with it. People don't seek help because they think they will be judged and as John Kirwan has stated in the past be told to "just harden up".
I am sure that John speaking out regarding his own struggle with depression has helped and encouraged more than just one person to seek help. I am sure that John Kirwin's work has saved lives and brought happiness and joy back in to those lives.
If anyone has ever deserved this honour it would be him and i am glad that he received it for more than just chucking a ball around a grass field.
John has put his fame due to his ball chucking talent to good use - to help others.
That is awesome.
After his battles with depression, Sir John became a spokesman and campaigner in New Zealand for mental health issues. He made his problems public to encourage other people to seek help."I remember the day they asked me to do the awareness campaign. It was the hardest thing I ever considered," Sir John said."My philosophy all the way through about mental health is that if I can help one person, it will be great."If you ask me what is depression, it is the best and worst thing to ever happen to me. But my whole journey has been positive."There were scary times because of the stigma attached to depression, but I have tried to break those down because it is an illness, not a weakness."
I am not usually one to pay much attention to the Royal Family, the Queen - or her birthday. I grew up in America where the closest thing we have to a Royal Family are the Kennedys - and no one really wants to be part of that family.
Queen's Birthday weekend has always just been a tragic reminder that three months of freezing my butt off had begun - and an extra day off - to me.
I am making an exception to my attitude that everything to do with the Queen is silly today after hearing that John Kirwan has been knighted.
Just as with any form of addiction - depression is an illness that carries a large amount of shame with it. People don't seek help because they think they will be judged and as John Kirwan has stated in the past be told to "just harden up".
I am sure that John speaking out regarding his own struggle with depression has helped and encouraged more than just one person to seek help. I am sure that John Kirwin's work has saved lives and brought happiness and joy back in to those lives.
If anyone has ever deserved this honour it would be him and i am glad that he received it for more than just chucking a ball around a grass field.
John has put his fame due to his ball chucking talent to good use - to help others.
That is awesome.
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