THE RUN OF THEIR LIVES
Moved by the struggle of mentally ill patients against disease and stigmatisation, four NUS Medicine undergraduate students embarked on a 7-day, 250km ultramarathon in May in the Namibia desert to highlight their plight. Their effort received widespread media coverage and helped to raise funds for the Singapore Association for Mental Health. Safely home and on the cusp of their final year in medical school, Jonathan See, Stephen Hwang, Nicholas Eu and Tan Jui-Ern, Jon reflect on their epic journey.
Just a year ago, none of us would have imagined completing a 250km run in the heat of a desert. But what started out as a dream became reality as we crossed the finish line of The Sahara Race (Namibia) 2016 on 7th May.
GETTING INTO SHAPE
Training and preparing for this race was tough, and every “first” was painfully memorable – the first time we sprinted up Pinnacle@ Duxton, our lungs were burning. The first time we ran a full marathon, our joints ached so badly that we walked around the hospital wards like penguins. The first time we dug our feet deep into the soft desert sand, we felt like we were barely moving. Of course, this was a lot easier to bear as we were undertaking the race together as four buddies. We trained 2 – 3 times a week, and in the short span of nine months, we also contacted four groups of Singaporeans who had run the desert race for advice on preparation.
For all our expectations, training and preparation, there were still areas we were unprepared for when we started off on the actual race. One thing that far surpassed our expectation was how the cumulative distance of 250km took a huge toll on our joints, and made every step in the second half of the race unbearably painful. Yet despite the challenges on the course, we eventually managed to pull through together. To us, that was all we asked for, to complete the race safely as a team.
WHY WE RAN
Many have asked us why we did what we did and our answer is that we wanted to help change the way Singaporeans view mental
illness and people who had mental health problems. We too held ignorant and prejudiced views about mental illnesses and patients. Unwittingly, we contributed to their stigmatisation. The realisation that this stigma is so deeply rooted in us, our family and friends, and the rest of society is a jarring one, especially after seeing how it affects patients and their loved ones.
In the hospitals we were posted to, we saw patients who only sought help after years of suffering in silence, as they were afraid of the repercussions of being labeled as people with mental illness. We saw patients whose families and friends had abandoned them because they could no longer accept their behaviour and did not want to be associated with them. Even families who remained supportive suffered as neighbours and friends began avoiding them. We witnessed the widespread and invasive effects of this prejudice towards mental illnesses and resolved to make a difference in whatever small way we could.
COUNTING THE COST
But working on this project and trying to make a difference was never easy. On top of training, we had to plan and manage the public awareness campaign, fundraising and numerous other administrative responsibilities. There were many days where we went to school with only 2 – 3 hours of sleep the night before and along the way, there were many sacrifices that we had to make. Some of us had to forgo opportunities for exchange studies at prestigious medical schools overseas. Others entered elective postings feeling unprepared, tired and facing disappointment from our tutors because we had not read up on the topics sufficiently. To make time for the race, we also sacrificed the precious 2-week break that we had between Year 4 and Year 5 of medical school.
Nevertheless, what kept us going was the knowledge of the impact that our project was creating. Whenever we received an email from a person suffering from mental illness seeking help, or one from someone offering to volunteer at the Singapore Association for Mental Health, it brightened our day to know that we had reached people who now know more about mental health. While our fundraising is still short of our $50,000 goal, seeing it grow slowly over time, knowing that our project will be able to contribute financially to the SAMH and people with mental illnesses is also very satisfying. Each time the SAMH tells us how our project has raised awareness about their organisation, we feel extremely grateful, and moments like this keep us going.
LESSONS LEARNT
There are numerous lessons we have learnt through our journey. During the Race, we met a competitor called Simon Wheatcroft. He had lost his sight at age 17 due to a degenerative eye condition. He was the first blind competitor in 4 Deserts history to attempt the race without a human guide, using only a handheld GPS guiding device. Despite withdrawing after three stages, he epitomised the spirit of the race and was awarded the Spirit Award by the race organisers. During his award acceptance speech, Wheatcroft bravely summarised his feelings in seven words: “I failed, but I will be back”. His example, as well as the stories of people struggling with their mental illness are lessons that we treasure.These have taught us much about what it means to have determination, and to keep coming back despite setbacks.
Home again and the Race behind us, we have turned our focus to completing our final year of medical studies. Like everyone else, we are regular medical students, anxious about our upcoming, final year, worried whether we are sufficiently prepared for MBBS exams. But going through the Race has reminded us of how much each of us can do as a person. As we see more and more patients in medical school and over the course of our medical careers, we end up recognising only our ability to help people as doctors. We determine our value on the basis of how well we can cure a patient or how accurate our diagnosis is. After a while, we lose sight of how a simple conversation with that patient could enhance the value of a clinical diagnosis. Yes, we are medical students, but the awareness of mental illness and the funds that we have helped to raise by embarking on the Sahara Race was something that we did as four ordinary people who saw and responded to a societal need. The Race is an endeavour, one which stands as a constant reminder to us that there is only so much we can do as doctors, that while we practice the science of medicine, we should always remember the human touch that is so vital in the healing process.
If you wish to donate to Mental Muscle’s fund for the SAMH, please visit https://give.asia/donate/new/mental_muscle_sahara_race_namibia_2016#/steps/form