Participant of The Push-Up Challenge in 2021, Motiata Hooper bravely shares her story:

'My brother was one of the 3318 in 2019 and I’m just so grateful to have an opportunity to do something. I’m a tubby card-carrying couch potato of long standing so this is truly a huge challenge for me.

Also, my brother John who was not quite 42 when he died was a bit into fitness and once very painstakingly showed me how to do dips. I was so dismissive at the time but now it’s a treasured memory.

It’s also brought my work team together - mainly to shout obscenities at me as I signed them all up without their express permission - but we all do our push ups and sit ups together on the hour every hour at work.

It’s a brilliant initiative and I’m so glad you came up with it. There is a lot of helplessness around suicide. A lot of what if I’d done that or said that etc.

The Push-Up Challenge gives grieving families and loved ones the chance to do something rather than think about what we could have done or should have done.

Thank you.'

*The Push-Up Challenge 2021 challenged participants to 3,318 push ups over 25 days, with each push-up representing a life lost to suicide in 2019 (the last year of available data at that time).

All this was possible thanks to funds raised in 2021 for The Push For Better Foundation, which runs The Push-Up Challenge.

In 2021 The Push-Up Challenge saw over 174,000 people push for better mental health, delivering significant benefit across Australia through destigmatising of mental health, improvements to mental and physical wellbeing and improved mental health literacy. The event has helped to educate the community around mental health, further normalise conversations about mental health and reduce the stigma around seeking help.