DETERMINATION to make a change was the driving force to the creation of 6Nil, the campaign developed by siblings Maddie and Will Gay to raise $250,000 for Lifeline Australia.
Maddie and Will, who lost their father to suicide five years ago, have planned the climb of a lifetime to raise awareness for suicide prevention and eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.
On September 10, 2015, the two of them will set off on a trip to climb six mountains, in five different countries, across four continents within the period of three months with one goal in mind- to get suicide rates down to zero.
"It seems a bit impossible to do but we wanted something that was huge and reflected the challenge of reaching a zero suicide rate," Maddie said.
Both Maddie and Will have always been very passionate about changing the way people perceive mental illnesses.
View the video Maddie and Will made about 6Nil here
Maddie said the stigma associated with these illnesses can prevent people living with them from putting up their hand and saying "I'm not coping."
It's also contributed to the fact that every single day, seven people will take their own lives, a statistic that's completely ridiculous to Maddie.
"I think everyone is responsible to help eliminate stigma, if you're not educated or you're afraid to talk about it with someone you know is struggling, you can't help that person."
As well as driving their point, 6Nil is about honouring the siblings father who always encouraged them to do what they were passionate about.
"He always wanted us to do something that made us happy and something we were passionate about," Maddie said.
"The whole point of this quest for suicide prevention is about helping people and fighting stigma."
"It's healing for us to do this in Dad's honour."
Read the siblings' full story in The Land'sGlove Box Guide to Mental Health, October 2.
