At 16, most boys are discovering girls and immersing themselves in a busy social life.
But in Scott Casey-Wooldridge’s case, he discovered his mother was about to commit suicide.
Even now, at age 27, he is still coming to terms with it.
"It was a traumatic experience. I was the one to intervene.
"Your mum is supposed to be your tower of strength. She's the most solid thing in your life, and when they're not coping with something ... it's quite a lot for a 16-year-old to take on."
More recently, he had started to "unpack" the incident and talk more about what was going on for her at the time.
Looking back, he felt he should have seen the signs and believed there were things he could have done to help his mother more.
"But it was like a fight or flight situation for me, and I've only learnt those ‘other’ things through my own life experiences.
"If I could tell my younger self, I would be pretty happy with him. I'd give him a big hug and be like, you did all you could at the time."
Mr Casey-Wooldridge said he was grateful his mother was still alive today, and he was using her as inspiration for a marathon fundraising adventure on June 20.
For the sake of ease, he planned to do the ski, row and cycle marathons on stationary gym equipment, and he will run the marathon on a circuit within Dunedin.
"I'm on week 10 of a 12-week training block, where the main focus has been on running, because my legs will get a bit of a battering.
"I'm well aware that on the day it's going to be more of a mental game than what the physical preparation can hold."
He said he would have a large support crew on the day to encourage him throughout the mammoth challenge.
"It’s all about doing hard things.
"We get quite comfortable at times, and when we get comfortable that's when we maybe aren't equipped to deal with those hard things.
"I think doing hard things boosts your confidence and your resilience to help you handle life when those hard things happen."
Ultimately, he aims to raise $51,100 — the average cost of one counselling session per day for 365 days.
He said he chose I Am Hope so other people in his and his mother’s situation could have the support they needed in circumstances similar to theirs.
"I Am Hope is helping youth that have had similar situations to be able to sort those things out so that it doesn’t hinder them later on in life when they have a family of their own."
Need help?
Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust 027 240-0114
Need to talk? 1737, free 24/7 phone and text number
Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543-354
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828-865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
General mental health inquiries: 0800 443-366
