ON APRIL 1, 2014, Queenslander Jaie Moran sadly and suddenly took his own life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was two days after his 22nd birthday and he left behind fiancée Jade and eight-month-old daughter Poppy.
Now Jaie’s mother, Sandra, having lost her youngest of three children, has made it her mission to help others by talking about the risks of suicide and other emotional and mental health issues that remain largely taboo in many communities.
Ms Moran is travelling more than 36,000km around the country on her motorbike to table a topic she says is not being helped by sweeping it under the carpet.
“People have to start talking and asking for help,” Ms Moran said.
“Family deserve the opportunity to help – I didn’t get that opportunity.”
Ms Moran said Jaie had been tentatively diagnosed bipolar at the age of 19.
She said she told him that some events were beyond anyone’s control and that they would cross bridges as they reached them.
However, not long before he took his own life, she said he started behaving differently.
“I was telling him, all this stuff that’s happening, it’s not you,” Ms Moran said.
“I said what did they tell you at your bipolar assessment – he said ‘I didn’t go mum’.”
Ms Moran said stigma around suicide needs to stop, so people can feel more comfortable in saying they are depressed and in need of support.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking for help,” she said.
“Everyone needs to lean on someone at some time – that’s what community is all about.
“I would have loved Jaie to say ‘Mum I need help’.
“I would have loved that opportunity.
“Now I have to help a little girl know everything about a man who loved her with all his heart, but who left her.”
After fighting her own emotional turmoil after Jaie’s death, Ms Moran decided she was going to jump on her CBR1000RR Fireblade “and just ride – I don’t care where”.
She found support via Overdownunder founder Jerry Farsoun, who is travelling alongside Ms Moran with his family in a bright orange bus with “Stop Bullying, Cure Depression, Prevent Suicide” emblazoned on the side.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figure show between 2003 and 2012, nearly 23,000 people died by suicide in Australia.
That’s compared to about 8000 on the country’s roads.
And for each person who dies, many more are affected.
“Suicide is not an individual issue,” Ms Moran said.
“With Jaie, we calculated that with friends, family, the emergency services – and then their families who have to deal with their loved ones working in such a difficult time – it was more than 200 people [affected].
“[And] people bereaved by suicide are at a higher risk themselves just due to the stigma of suicide.
“People have been asking me ‘Why am I doing this? What am I getting out of it?’
“You can’t put a value on someone’s life – if we save one person it will be worth it.
“It’s been surprising to some people we’ve met that there are total strangers riding around the country saying ‘you matter’.”
Donations can be made towards fuel and travel costs to keep Sandra on her 36,500km, 300-town tour reaching out to communities and those suffering in silence.
More information on Ride 4 Life – Jaie’s Journey can be found at www.overdownunder.com.au/jaiesjourney and the Facebook page www.facebook.com/overdownunder.
Far South Coast stopovers
RIDE 4 Life – Jaie’s Journey will arrive on the Far South Coast on Wednesday, August 12, with an overnight stop in Eden.
A rest stop in Bega is planned for Thursday morning, August 13, before Ms Moran and her team head north through Narooma, Batemans Bay and Nowra, towards Wollongong and Sydney by Thursday night.
Accompanying Ms Moran for part of her journey will be Far South Coast members of the "Rotters" (Ride Til We Rot) motorcycle group.
They are planning to ride en-masse in support of Ms Moran between Nimmitabel and Batemans Bay over the two days.
Jaie’s Journey left Melbourne on August 1 and will finish in Devonport, Tasmania, on November 21.
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulty, help is available. Please contact:
Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au
Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au