THE lives of brothers Joey and Cam Eardley changed drastically after the suicide of their brother Kai last year.
The East Fremantle boys are training to compete in the Rottnest Swim to raise money for the Kai Eardley Fund.
Joey said the idea to compete in the swim came from a dinner conversation with his family.
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READ NOW“We laughed about the possibility of doing the swim and just like that mum spontaneously booked a house over there,” he said.
“My mum said ‘well, you guys can’t pull out now’.
“I have been trying to swim at least four to five sessions a week to make sure I’m not letting anyone down. I still think about my brother every waking minute but I try and view life in a different light as I know first-hand how precious life is.”
Brother Cam said The Kai Eardley Fund was created to honour the life of his brother and to raise awareness for mental illness in males.
“The aim behind the fund is to reduce stigma with males opening up and how they are feeling,” he said.
“Ultimately we hope that this will reduce the amount of suicide in male youths which is currently increasing every year.”
The Kai Eardley Fund is held with the Fremantle Foundation. To donate to the fund, go to https://chuffed.org/project/the-kai-eardley-fund.
People who need help can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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