By Esther Lauaki
Tanner Bell was loved by a lot of people.
That’s why 50 of Tanner’s family and friends, led by his younger sister Tylah, will run the Melbourne Marathon next month in his honor while raising money and awareness for Psychosis Australia Trust.
The Sunbury 21-year-old, who played football for Riddell as well as the Sunbury Lions, was diagnosed with psychosis at 16 and died last year.
Tylah is already hitting the gym and running around her local oval in preparation for the October 14 marathon. An online crowdfunding campaign has raised $6000 and Tylah hopes to raise more in the lead-up to the event.
Her aim is to let other young men know that “it’s OK not to be OK”.
“I’m doing this to raise awareness that there are people who can help men who are unable or don’t want to speak up about what they’re going through,” Tylah said.
“Tanner suffered psychosis and he’s the main reason I’m doing this charity run.
“I want to let people know that anyone can suffer from psychosis and, young men in particular, need to talk about it.”
She said that her brother was charismatic and selfless.
“He was a beautiful kid,” Tylah said.
“He had heaps of friends and used to go out just out about every weekend.
“Tanner was pretty selfless as well. He was always looking after other people and always wanted to make sure we were alright.”
The mission of the Psychosis Australia Trust is to support research into schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with the aim of helping all those affected by these mental illnesses to live better lives.
Donate to Team Tanner at bit.ly/2oh6ygi
