She would spend hours on the deck of the family home. Just sitting there with her thoughts and memories.
She was not in a good place and at one point even considered taking her own life.
However, Donna did not want to become another statistic.
She didn’t want to put her friends and family though the trauma she was experiencing.
So she decided to try and make a difference, and to support others who see no other way out.
On Friday she walked into Benalla 1900km into a 3000km walk around Victoria which aims to raise funds for, and awareness of, mental health issues.
‘‘About 12 months ago my husband took his own life and he was a retired police officer,’’ Ms Bowman said.
‘‘I wanted to raise awareness of mental health issues and raise funds for ‘Those left behind’, which is a charity that supports the mental health of police.’’
Donna said her funding goal was $1 million, but she would be happy with anything people could donate.
Donna left her home in Geelong on March 18 and has completed more than two million steps since then, she estimates she will reach 3.5 million before she finishes.
‘‘I’m headed to Wangaratta tomorrow, then I go through the Alpine Ranges to Bairnsdale, back through Melbourne and then back home to Geelong.’’
Donna undertook eight months of training leading up to the walk and said she was eating as much as she could, but was still losing weight daily.
‘‘I’ve been a bookworm all my life, I’ve never done any exercise on this level before. The first week was hard, but the effort doesn’t worry me now, I’m used to it,’’ she said.
●If you would like to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/jh62tv-those-left-behind
●If you are experiencing any issues and need someone to talk to you can phone Lifeline Australia on 131114, or Beyond Blue on 1300224636.
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