‘I’m using my experiences to help others’
Nine years ago, Hannah Daniels attempted to take her own life. Now she’s doing everything in her power to educate others about mental health and maybe even save a life or two, as well.
“I believe that I didn’t die for a reason, and I turned my lessons and struggles into education for others,” says Hannah, 38, the Barnardos Victorian winner.
“I also think that going through mental illness has made me a better parent, because I’m actually able to sit down and have conversations with my boys that my parents were never able to have with me, and many other parents might also struggle with.”
Hannah is a superhero in the eyes of her son, Thomas, 11, who nominated his mum for the award. “When I was being bullied at school, Mum made everything better. She showed me ways to make friends with the bully and it worked,” he says proudly.
On top of her work in mental health, the single mum-of-three from Mordialloc also opened her home to take in a baby girl called Lily for almost a year, while her mother received help. “I can’t see somebody struggling and not help them if I can, but I’m really just a mum,” she says. “It’s easy to love someone else’s child like your own.”
Although Lily has now returned to her own family, Hannah is in the final stages of becoming an accredited foster carer. “I want to be able to take in more children and make a difference in their lives,” she explains.