Ballygawley woman who had thoughts of suicide now helping others

“I PROBABLY wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the centre and it’s great knowing that I can be here and provide the same help to others.”

These were the words of Jolene Farrell, current chairperson of Dungannon-based suicide prevention charity, the Niamh Louise Foundation.

When she was 21 years old, the Ballygawley native began to struggle with her mental health, with feelings of not being good enough and even having suicidal thoughts.

Eight years on and after receiving life-changing help from the Niamh Louise Foundation, Jolene is now working with the charity to help others who might find themselves in similar circumstances.

“I had been in a job and I had thoughts of not feeling good enough and as time went on
they were getting worse and worse,” Jolene told the Tyrone Herald.

“I was 21 at the time and my parents just didn’t know what to do with me. I wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating and just genuinely didn’t want to be here.

“There was one Saturday in particular that I thought to myself that I couldn’t do this any more.”

Jolene explained how a family friend had taken his own life, and that his father came to visit her in hopes of prompting her to get help.

“I had a family friend who took his own life at 17, and I remember his father came to my house and did a suicide intervention, one he had been trained to do through the Niamh Louise Foundation,” she explained.

“I then had an appointment with the Foundation the following Tuesday and I didn’t know what to expect – I hadn’t been through anything like this before.

“I came to the centre for a year and the difference that it made to me was unbelievable.”

Unfortunately the vital work that the charity are carrying out in the community has been undermined by lack of government funding.

And last Friday, celebrating 18 years of the Foundation and to help keep the facility’s doors firmly open, fundraiser, ‘Friends of Niamh Louise’ was launched which invites the business community to help sustain the charity.

l If you or someone you know could benefit from the services at the Niamh Louise Foundation call 028 8775 3327.
You can also donate toward the charity’s essential work you can find a link on their website, www.niamhlouise
foundation.com