"Losing my father was one of the hardest moments of my life. As the first child, I did not know how to react or process the pain. I would often ask my mother, “Why did he leave us like this? This is not fair at all.” Over time, I started using drugs, lost focus in my studies, and isolated myself from others. My behaviour also affected my mother deeply, and she eventually fell into depression because of the situation at home. During my freshman year, I received counselling sessions through Friendship Bench.

The sessions were very helpful and helped me get back on my feet. However, I still was not ready to openly talk about my father’s death with anyone. At home, I remained quiet most of the time. Later, I applied for an internship at Friendship Bench as a Buddy. Through learning more about depression, peer counselling, and Problem Solving Therapy (PST), I realised that I had never fully dealt with my grief. I slowly began opening up to my mother about how I felt, and that helped me heal even more.

Today, I am an advocate for men’s mental health while working towards completing my studies."