Alison’s Story
Lifeline WA ambassador and motivational speaker Alison Braun struggled with her weight for much of her life.
But in 2008, she set out to change that as a contestant on reality show The Biggest Loser.
Alison lost 55kg and finished second overall, but it was the lessons she learned in the process that made the biggest impact on her life.
“Being placed in a position and pushed out of my comfort zone on a daily basis, I discovered strengths within myself I never knew existed,” she says.
“I discovered I was mentally stronger than I ever realised, disciplined and extremely competitive.”
It should have been the start of a wonderful new chapter for her young family, however, six months later while preparing to film an advertisement in the eastern states, she received the news that her husband Bob had taken his own life.
She still remembers the call that changed her world.
“It was my Mum, I could hear such distress in her voice,” she recalls.
“As I stood in my hotel room on the other side of the country all I could hear were the screams of my son and the cries of my two little girls. I couldn’t be there to hold them, to comfort them and tell them it’s going to be OK.”
It took all of Alison’s new strength to endure this loss and be there for her children as a single parent.
“I had really no idea what to do at that point, how I was going to do everything,” she says.
“I made a conscious decision that I wanted to be a role model to my kids and the community.”
In 2008, suicide was a taboo subject and there was a stigma associated with mental health and suicide. Alison was determined to make sure her children would never feel their dad’s illness was a shameful act.
Alison was given a platform within the media and through public speaking and set out to use this opportunity to break down stereotypes, shame and the taboo around mental health and suicide.
Today, Alison continues to inspire her family and many others as an advocate for mental health and a positive voice in the community.
In supporting Lifeline WA, Alison hopes to prevent other families receiving the sort of call she did, by encouraging people who struggling to call Lifeline for help in times of crisis.
Alison believes if her husband had just reached out for help that day, her children would still have their father with them today.
Other real stories
Chris’ Story
Chris Puckridge has been named WA finalist for Lifeline’s Mary Parsissons Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Chris was nominated by fellow Lifeline WA volunteers for excellence in the volunteer field, leadership and for making an inspirational contribution to the community.
Chris has been a dedicated telephone crisis supporter since 2014, going over and above his weekly commitment to work shifts over public holidays, provide support and mentoring to other crisis supporters and volunteering to facilitate training for new crisis supporters.
Originally a stockman, Chris has worked in regional areas for many years before joining Lifeline WA. He brings this experience and unique knowledge to his volunteer role and has a strong empathy for people in regional areas and the issues they face.
“The training and support you receive at Lifeline gives you the strength to deal with people when they are often at the lowest point of their lives,” he said.
“I often listen to other crisis supporters on the phones and I am in awe of how they respond so calmly and professionally to people who can be in life or death situations or on the other hand sometimes people are just lonely and isolated and need to hear a kind and non-judgemental voice.”
Ros’ Story
Ros Worthington OAM is one of Australia’s most inspirational philanthropists.
She has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal, 2015 Western Australian of the Year for community and has twice been a finalist for Australian of the Year. She has been formally acknowledged as one of WA’s 100 Most Influential Western Australians. Ros lost her husband Ross, to suicide in 2002.
This month Ros launched a campaign – Stepping out of the Shadows – aiming to raise one million dollars for Lifeline WA.
Ros has gathered together a group of strong community advocates who have lost loved ones to help Western Australians create a lifeline for Lifeline WA.
Their focus is on both prevention of suicide and support for those who are bereaved by the loss of someone to suicide. This community driven initiative encompasses people from all walks of life; young, old, gay, straight, working, not working, men and women from all backgrounds and cultures, who lost loved ones to suicide.
The Stepping Out of the Shadows campaign will travel across the state of Western Australia delivering a message of hope, garnering support and encouraging discussion about coming out of the shadows and into the light to save lives.
The one million dollar fundraising target will help Lifeline WA to train more volunteers and mentors, answer more calls and save more lives.
Georgia’s Story
Georgia Ongarezos is the youngest person to complete a solo crossing from Rottnest Island in the dark of night, achieving the feat in late 2020 and raising more than $13,000 for Lifeline WA in the process.
The accomplished swimmer was motivated to support Lifeline WA by her own struggle with depression, which had seen her stop training entirely.
Recognising how many of her peers were fighting the same darkness, she conceived the idea of the night swim to help shine a light on the importance of mental health.
“I counted 22 people I know that have a mental illness or are suffering as a consequence of loved ones with mental illnesses and this broke my heart,” Georgia says.
“I decided to swim in the darkness from Rottnest to Perth to inspire those who are struggling at the moment and feel like they are in darkness.”
For Georgia, Lifeline WA’s importance is in the lifeboat it represents for people lost in the currents of mental health issues.
“It gives me such peace of mind to know that if any of the people I love are struggling and reach out to Lifeline for help, their lives are more likely to be saved,” she says.
Even up to the night of the swim, Georgia was in a depressive state behind the smile she presented to the world.
“I didn’t realise that the tunnel I was in was still extremely dark and to be honest I hadn’t found the light yet,” she recalls.
But coming ashore at Cottesloe Beach as dawn broke was a turning point for her mental health, and she has a message for others who are struggling.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, and you can get there if you believe in yourself,” she says.
Since completing the swim, Georgia has continued to fundraise and advocate for Lifeline WA in the community.
How you can help
Volunteer
Your time can help us save lives. Explore volunteering opportunities with Lifeline WA.
Fundraise
Create your own fundraising page or download our fundraising kit.
Partnerships
We rely on the generosity of our philanthropic and corporate partners to sustain our life-saving work.
Donate today
Support our 24/7 crisis services to allow us to be there for West Australians in need.