Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘I want to help others’
Kirsten Conradie’s cousin Ryan Smith died suddenly at the age of 25. It was the second tragedy to hit the family after Ryan’s older brother Robbie was murdered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Now Kirsten, a nursery support worker from Whitfield, hopes to raise £2,000 for the Dundee Association for Mental Health (DAMH), which is based in the Willow Centre, in the hope that other families can be spared the hurt her family suffered in the aftermath of Ryan’s death.
The 19-year-old said: “After Ryan’s death, I wanted to do something to help support people who are struggling to cope with mental health problems.
“The way I see it, if I can raise as much money as I can for the organisation, they will be able to provide the dad Kevin, 49, in 2012 from Johannesburg — where his other brother Gareth, 35, still lives.
He found work as a gardener in the city but his family say he was still figuring out what he wanted to do with his life.
Ryan was a Star Wars fanatic and animal lover, who enjoyed reading and spending time outdoors and going gokarting with his dad.
DAMH provides facilities within the community for people suffering from or recovering from the effects of mental ill health and their friends and relatives.
As part of Kirsten’s fundraising drive, she will be doing a skydive in May.
She said: “I have never skydived before so I am terrified but it is for a good cause.”
People who want to donate to Kirsten’s effort can visit: justgiving. com/crowdfunding/kirstenconradie-helpsupportmental health.
A DUNDEE woman has launched a fundraising bid in memory of her cousin who died after struggling with mental illness.