When I was about twenty years old, a friend invited me to be his groomsman. Things got bad quickly for me at the wedding and I had a psychotic episode in which I felt my face was burning and my hair had been singed. It was scary! I was taken in a police car to hospital and put in a locked ward. It took years, but with the right medication, amazing family support and me learning how to take care of myself, I became well. I knew I couldn’t live the life I wanted in hospital. I have been given hope, especially through my Christian faith and great friends at pivotal times in my life. I regularly go to a church homegroup and find it gives me strength and encouragement. Sport was a huge part of my life before I became unwell and has been a huge part of my recovery. I play many different sports, love to encourage my team-mates and enjoy the team experience. Nowadays I’m looking for opportunities to support other people to be well through having opportunities for sport and activity, like children recovering in hospital or older people in aged care places. I’d like to do some study about sport and recovery in the future. My experience proves that people can have an enjoyable, manageable life with a mental illness. I especially want to tell young people the lessons that I have learned and that there is hope for everyone.