EMD scales new heights for cause close to her heart Emergency Medical Dispatcher Steph Vanden Hurk tackled her fear of heights to raise much needed funds for women with perinatal depression at this yearâs White Cloud Foundationâs Leaping Ladies event.
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Queenslandâs White Cloud Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation providing practical support, easy access to treatment, and early intervention programs for people living with or at risk of developing depression and anxiety in its many forms. Its annual Leaping Ladies event, hosted in March, sees recognised female community leaders take a âleap of faithâ and abseil down the Kangaroo Point cliffs. The event raises vital funds for new mothers and their families at risk of experiencing perinatal depression to ensure the continuation of their incredibly successful Meals for Mums program. Steph used this service, which provides nutritious meals for mums who need them, after her first baby was born in 2020. âI was really struggling with perinatal depression with my oldest and it was recognised during a mental health check
with the child health nurse and the White Cloud Foundation was actually one of the referral pathways,â Steph said. âHaving those meals was just one less thing to worry about in a massively scary and stressful situation, at least I could eat good healthy meals as well.â Steph bravely spoke about her struggle with perinatal depression to the participants of the Leaping Ladies event. âPeople talk about the baby blues, but it gets to a point where you realise itâs not just the baby blues, itâs not just hormones, itâs ongoing and itâs getting worse,â she said.
organisation and its vital services that helped her so much. âI really donât like heights so for me itâs a massive thing to be able to do that and overcome it for something so good,â she said. âItâs important for people to know there is help out there and to reach out sooner rather than later. âAfter using it myself I thought it would be really nice to help other mums out there who donât know about it and encourage them to reach out for help sooner rather than later.â
âItâs a pretty awful feeling not wanting to be around your baby â you love them, but you donât want to touch them, you donât want to be near them, and you think everyoneâs better off without you.â
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Two happy baby boys later, Steph overcame her struggles and her fear of heights to raise awareness for the
Right
Autumn 2022
â S teph getting ready to abseil down Kangaroo Point cliffs as part of the White Cloud Foundationâs Leaping Ladies event.. Top right
â Participants of the 2022 Leaping Ladies event. â EMD Steph ready to go at the Leaping Ladies event.
