06 Feb 2018 On the sixth anniversary of her nephew’s suicide, Sharon Young received an invitation to be a batonbearer for the Commonwealth Games 2018 (GC2018) Queen’s Baton Relay, due to her passionate fundraising and advocacy for Lifeline WA. In memory of her nephew, Shane, Sharon has raised over $100,000 for Lifeline WA through participating in the HBF Run for a Reason, her art exhibition and auction ‘Heartlines for Lifeline’ and her annual lady’s luncheon. “Losing someone is never easy, and I guess my coping mechanism was that whilst I couldn’t change what happened to Shane, I could try and prevent other families going through the same heartache as us,” she said. “Our aim is to not only raise money but just as importantly, awareness of mental health and help de-stigmatise peoples’ perception of it.” Sharon says she has mixed emotions about being a batonbearer. “I am thrilled and excited to be doing it but sad that it really all has come about from losing Shane,” she said. “There are so many things I wish I knew then, that I do now.” In particular, Sharon says she wishes she had seen the signs and reached out to Shane before it was too late. “Here he was, to us, a successful businessman, engaged to be married, footy runner for the local football club, loving family member and then just like that, life as we knew it was forever altered,” she said. “I know we keep saying speak up, but I guess we also need to learn to listen.” Sharon will walk 250 metres with the baton in Rockingham at 4:43pm on February 23, 2018. The GC2018 Queen’s Baton Relay will be the longest in history, spanning 388 days and 230, 000 kilometres. The baton started its journey at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day, March 13, 2017, and is scheduled to end at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast on April 4, 2018. Back To News Stories