Helen is running the Royal Parks Half for APP!

A very big Thank You to Helen, our second runner in the 2018 Royal Parks Half Marathon! The stunning central London Half is taking place on Sunday 14th October and takes in some of the capital’s world–famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks; Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens.

Helen is running in aid of APP after suffering with PP after the birth of her second son. She says:

"I experienced PP 5 weeks after the birth of my second son, when I was severely sleep deprived from his terrible re-flux. I had no history of mental health issues and awoke one day from a nap into an uncontrollable panic that turned into me being removed from my home by the police and ambulance into a&e....It was a significant struggle to find any service that could support me and my family at a time when Bradford had no specialist perinatal mental health service. It left me bewildered, isolated, frustrated and feeling alone at a time when I had never before been so vulnerable and in need...

My Sister in desperation googled and found APP and got the Guides produced by APP which were invaluable to me understanding my symptoms and knowing recovery was possible. As I began to improve I used the peer support forum to learn more and realise I was not alone in what I was experiencing. APP supported me and my family during a time of terrible upset and their patient information, training, research and awareness raising is invaluable. Perinatal mental health matters. It’s not easy to acknowledge that things can be awful at a time when they are supposed to be joyous.

But the good news is, full recovery is entirely possible and in a weird kind of way, had it not happened, I might not have appreciated my beautiful boys as much as I do, and want to spend the majority of my time with them as I do now.

Help is out there, in the form of APP and all that it is doing for awareness raising towards investment in this neglected and important area of care.

Please give whatever you can in the hope that other new mums can be supported in a time of need."

Visit Helen's Just Giving page here and please donate what you can.

Thanks so much to Helen for taking on this challenge in aid of APP, and we wish you all the very best with your training!