12 Mar 2019 Thornlie resident John Migas is raising money for Lifeline WA in this year’s HBF Run for a Reason in the hope of sparing other WA families the heartache of losing a family member to suicide. Mr Migas speaks from experience, having lost his brother Stephen, a FIFO worker at the time, to suicide in 2013. “My family will never be the same but if I can help prevent anyone else from having to go through what we have, then this would have all been worth it,” he said. Mr Migas said his brother gave no indication anything was wrong before his suicide and encouraged people to make use of services like Lifeline WA instead of suffering alone. “I feel as though my brother didn’t want to burden his family with his own problems and didn’t want us to worry so he fought his battle on his own,” he said. “That is why I’m choosing to support Lifeline WA, because I want to share my story and encourage others who are struggling to open up. “I know of people who have tried to call Lifeline in the past but haven’t been able to get through, and I couldn’t think of a better way for me to help than to raise much needed funds in the hope that these unanswered calls become less and less.” Lifeline WA is one of four charity partners of the HBF Run for a Reason, in which participants can choose to run 4km, 12km or a half marathon. The event, which is celebrating its 10th year on Sunday 19 May, travels from the CBD through Burswood, Crawley, East Perth and surrounding suburbs before winding up at Gloucester Park. Mr Migas said exercise had helped him deal with his brother’s death and he wanted to pay tribute to him by running the 12km distance with his partner Tarnee. “When you lose someone so close to you, I feel like you develop tools to help cope and for me that was running,” he said. Lifeline WA Chief Executive Officer Lorna MacGregor said turning to exercise was a beneficial way for people to maintain their mental health. “The HBF Run for a Reason is an ideal partner for Lifeline WA, given the proven benefits of exercise on mental health,” she said. “The event gives our ambassadors like John Migas a great way to raise funds for Lifeline WA while also boosting their own mental health.” Online registrations for the HBF Run for a Reason close on Friday, 17 May 2019, with in-person registrations available until 5pm on Saturday, 18 May at the HBF Run for a Reason Event Centre. Lifeline’s 24/7 telephone crisis support service is available on 13 11 14. Back To News Stories