Stepping Back From The Edge – Why Living With Depression And Schizophrenia Made Me Stronger and More Resilient.
Hi,
First things first, I’m a problem solver. I enjoy the challenge of solving other peoples problems and issues. You will see I said other peoples problems, solving my own is far more taxing as it is for most people.
I want to hear all about you, but before we begin let me give you some background on me. In fact, I just don’t want to tell you about my story. I want to SHOW you my story.
My name is Craig Marchant, 37 years old, happily married with five kids.
I’ve had Depression since I was about 12 years old and Schizophrenia since I was about 18 years old. I managed to keep everything together for a number of years, working full time and living my life but the wheels fell off when I was 20.
Numerous hospital visits, psychiatric institutions, and suicide attempts. There was still a strong desire to live underneath all that because after every attempt I made my way to the hospital for the complementary charcoal drink (it’s foul just FYI).
Once I did manage to get a reasonably successful attempt because I ended up in the ICU with about 8 to 10 other patients. It was during this latest hospitalization that my life changed for the better, and it’s had the most profound effect on me ever since.
Another gentleman was next to me and the nurse was looking after him. I could hear him crying and saying that he didn’t want to die. And it suddenly dawned on me, here I was in this room surrounded by people who were trying ever so desperately to cling to life with the sole exception of myself, who was trying to leave this world.
It was at this point I decided that this had to stop. Between all my doctors and my medications, I managed to get my life sorted out over the next few years. I got married and started my own family, putting the past behind me and resolving to move forward.
I along with three others founded a successful web hosting and domain name company in Australia in 2008 and started working insane hours to make it work. We all did really, because sometimes in business you just have to work your tail off to make it.
Back in November of 2015, I had been talking with my Mum about her adventure cycling in Cambodia for Plan International. Her cause was to help get girls into the education system in Vietnam and Cambodia as they are often left behind. I was super intrigued because I had always wanted to do something for a cause as well.
It gave me the courage to look into and sign up for the Leukaemia Foundation fundraiser in May of 2016 – Trekking the Inca Trail in Peru. We had to pay for all of our own costs including a minimum of $4,000 donation to the Leukaemia Foundation to participate.
I’ve never been all that good at self-promotion, so with the help of my best mate, we built up a profile for me so I could try and secure sponsors. I managed to secure all the sponsorship I needed including hitting the $4,000 donation target. Truth be told I raised $5,624 for the donation, so I was rather chuffed at my efforts.
Soon enough, it was May of 2016 and I was jetting off to Peru. The Trek was the most physically demanding and emotionally draining adventure of my entire life. The first day came and went without much issue, but the next day was when it all hit home.
We must have been about 3 hours into the trek on the 2nd day, and I started feeling rather off. Altitude sickness can occur, so I got checked out. In reality, I think it was just my Anxiety and my brain telling me I couldn’t do it. The guide was fantastic and told me he had seen heavier people complete the challenge and that he thought I could ace it.
That was all I needed, somebody believed in me. It was exactly what I needed to hear and I managed to get to the end of the 2nd day alive and well and no worse for wear. The third day it started to rain, and I was starting to feel very weary and tired.
I’d had the Gastric Sleeve procedure a year and a half ago before the Trek and so my calorie intake was very low, to begin with, and then for some reason, I just couldn’t eat while doing the trek much.
I trudged my way into the camp at about 7 pm that night, everybody else made it there at 5:30 pm. Everybody applauded me as I came into the camp and I basically went into my tent and slept until morning.
The next day was the climax of the trek, and we reached the Sun Gates at Machu Picchu. What an amazing trek and feeling of satisfaction.
When I got back home, I realized that I had changed on the Trek and had a self-realization that I wanted more from life then what I had been getting. I finish up with work back in September of 2017 and I’ve been searching for what I want to do next.
I have a new mission now, I’ve started my own home business so I can spend more time with my family and help other people succeed with their own goals.