Oscar McCallion is going to run 57kms to raise money for I Am Hope and honour his late mum, Nalinee Giri. Photo / Supplied
Oscar McCallion is going to run 57kms to raise money for I Am Hope and honour his late mum, Nalinee Giri. Photo / Supplied
Oscar McCallion described his mum, well-known Kerikeri local Nalinee Giri, as his hero.
Giri was known for her business Jaffas Dressing Rooms, a clothing and home decor shop, as well as for the pātaka kai she set up outside her store and kept stocked with free food, clothing and toys for anyone who needed help.
"Mum passed away on April 13, 2021, after a long battle with bipolar disorder," 24-year-old McCallion said.
"She was an amazing person - so selfless, and wanting to help anyone."
Her suspected suicide has led the eldest of her three kids to take on a 57-kilometre run - one kilometre for every year of her life - to raise awareness and $20,000 for mental health.
Since his early teens, he had watched his mum swing from "depressive lows" to "absolutely manic highs".
When the pandemic unfolded, "a whole lot of pressure" was added onto Giri's plate, which ultimately spilled onto McCallion's.
"But no-one would've ever known it," McCallion said.
"Mum was charismatic, beautiful and intelligent. She'd clean up so well after an episode that you'd have no idea.
"She always found a way to make it work."
McCallion found out Giri was suicidal when he was around 15 or 16.
"It was always in my mind that result could happen," he said.
But she hadn't had an "episode" in the six years before her death.
"I get upset thinking Mum had done the hard yards raising three kids and now she doesn't get to see us grow up and be the amazing people we're going to be, thanks to her," McCallion said.
Oscar McCallion with his younger siblings and mum, Nalinee Giri (centre). Photo / Supplied
The reason McCallion chose to share his personal experience was to raise awareness and promote action around helping people with their mental health.
"I massively want to respect Mum and the family, so I don't want to go into details, but what I'm advocating and pushing towards is - I have been through this and I have lived it.
"I know other people having struggles with other medical illnesses, and my mindset is, we can learn from the past to be better for the future," he said.
Data released by the Office of the Chief Coroner showed Northland had one of the highest suspected suicide death rates in 2021 nationwide after Tairāwhiti, West Coast, and Whanganui.
Overall, 538 people died by suspected suicide nationwide in the 12 months up to June 30 this year.
The national suspected suicide death rate per 100,000 people was 10.2 - significantly lower than the average rate over the last 13 financial years.
McCallion encouraged people to stay connected and to check in with one another, with real intent.
He said Giri worried about bills or food for the kids.
"I learned really, really early on that those are the issues we don't have to focus on as hard as we do. We can change gear.
"Call people, have a conversation about the rugby, keep the normalcy around them, check in - 'How are you doing?'" he said.
McCallion, sporty since a young age, gave himself 17 weeks to prepare for Saturday's big run, where both the starting and finishing points hold a lot of meaning for his family.
"When we moved up to Kerikeri, I was 3 years old. We stopped at our favourite beach in Paihia for fish and chips."
So when, during lockdown, McCallion came up with the idea of a run, he couldn't believe that the distance between the two perfectly matched his mum's age at her time of death.
"It just made too much sense to do it then," he said.
To make a donation, visit McCallion's Givealittle page: Scrambled legs on Hope. All money raised will go to mental health charity I Am Hope, founded by Mike King, to help provide free counselling to New Zealand's youth.
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • Youth services: (06) 3555 906 • Youthline: 0800 376 633 • Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7) • Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm) • Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7) • Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 • Helpline: 1737 If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
