There has already been an incredible amount of recognition and praise for the strength of Alex Fasolo and the courage he has shown.
Speaking about your own mental health issues is a challenge that most people will not need to take on, but what Alex has done is shown that it is okay sometimes to not be okay.
Personally, I have been battling my own mental health issues for the last 24 months, and it is acts like this from Alex or from Buddy Franklin, on the eve of the 2015 Finals Series, that help make you realise it is okay to talk about it.
Now, you should probably know that I am not a Collingwood Fan, in fact to be honest I am like majority of the AFL Community and I quite enjoy seeing a Magpie loss. But the way the club and Alex have gone about this issue is truly admiring. I applaud the way that they have shown their support help towards Alex.
We often speak about the argument of whether football players should be classed as ‘role models’ and it is acts like this that prove they are some of the most influential people in our society.
What Alex has done is shown people out there battling mental health, especially myself, that you are not alone.
What you have to understand is that depression is not just a bad day, or a sad period of time. It is chemical. It is an illness, that for some will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Alex Fasolo, a public figure, an elite footballer and a young man, has taken the bravest and potentially the most important step for his life and reached out for help.
A choice that you will find majority of people who suffer from depression will struggle to make, if they ever make it at all. Why? Well because of the pressures of society and the feeling that asking for help means you are failing or weak.
(AAP Image/Craig Golding)
I am the same age as Alex, and I am not sure how long he has been battling his demons for but it took me six months to eventually be able to tell my family about it. Even then, I didn’t feel like I was ready to but my body forced me too by breaking down. I eventually had no option when I found myself wanting a comforting hug from my mum and with tears flowing from my eyes I had succumb to my demons.
Why I think Alex deserves every piece of praise he has received is simple. As a public figure, in one of the biggest sporting clubs in the country, he has announced his demons to millions and millions of people yet he has taken the challenge head on and is still moving forward with his life.
Sure, it may hit a few road bumps here and there, but the fact that he is strong enough to keeping pushing towards his goals and getting on with his life as normal as possible proves to society that it is okay. You can take on this illness on and win if you have the support and love of the people you choose to tell.
When I eventually surrendered to this battle, I only told my immediate family and a handful of my closest friends.
I felt weak. I felt embarrassed. I felt like I was failing. Most importantly I felt like I had let my entire family down. I felt like a burden to everyone and I did not want them to have to worry about me when they have their own issues as well.
I seriously struggled to move on with day to day life. Going to my sports, work and meeting with friends seemed more like a chore than something you want to do. So, the strength that Alex Fasolo has shown by taking forward steps day-to-day and proving that it is a battle you can fight a lot easier with your mates around you has certainly given me some strength and courage about moving forward and talking about it.
As a 24-year-old you feel like you should be invincible and untouchable. You feel like you can do everything yourself, or you should at least be able to try sort it by yourself. And if you were to open up to other people about your battles and struggles then they will judge you, they will treat you differently. You feel like a burden and that people will act differently around you.
One of the worst feelings about opening up about your struggles is knowing or thinking that people are going to treat you differently.
(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
That is one of the worst things that people can do, we don’t want to be treated differently, we just want people to understand the battle that we are taking on and hopefully that can provide some clarity for some of the actions and moods that we can have.
So from not just society and the AFL Community, but from myself personally, I want to say Thank You Alex. You have helped give me the strength and courage to go on and take on this battle.
I hope you find the right help for battle and you can return the football field as soon as possible and keep kicking goals…just not against the Giants thanks.
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Diplomatically answered, Darcy!
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
