I am Danni Gunn and I am Alive

I am Danni Gunn, and I am alive.

In my teens, I struggled to accept who I was and how to find my place in the world. I became self-destructive and would slip into what I later came to know as depression. At 15, one of my friends took their own life, and it opened a hole in the world that has never closed.

At 21, I had already made several attempts on my own life and lost myself in a deep depression.

A chance meeting with a charity worker at a university campus saved my life.

They asked if I knew anything about the suicide crisis happening to young men in the UK, and I let them know how close to the mark they were.

I began using a helpline for CALM and started my journey to recovering my mental health.

At 23, I began using my voice for CALM as what they titled a Champion. I was invited to tell my story on several occasions and spoke in front of healthcare professionals, media channels and celebrities. It was comforting to know for the first time I was no longer alone and instead, just the first to start shouting about it.

Now at 37, the path behind me looks so long, but the one ahead is longer still.

I am living the life I want and carving my own path. I am now chasing my dreams and trying to live for the life I almost lost. I live this life for those we have lost, those that were taken too soon, and those that need something to look at and say, ‘I can do that!’

Whilst there is always a small chance, I will continue to fight and win. I have found determination and strength through my struggles and discovered the invaluable truth that I am loved.

We have been through more than these photographs or words can ever describe; there will always be unspoken secrets and truths behind our eyes that saw too much, but we are not alone. There is so much love in this world, and we are rich in experience to ensure that others should never need to suffer.

I am Danni Gunn, and I am alive.