Burlington firefighter raises mental health fundraiser goal to $40K

Ryan Gallagher lost his father when he was 16 years-old.

“He actually dropped in front of me and I had to give him CPR and unfortunately he didn’t make it,” Gallagher says.

“That kind of set me on a path where I had to battle a lot of demons, I guess we’ll call it substance abuse issues and fast forward now, I’m almost two years sober.”

While Gallagher was saving lives as a firefighter he was still battling his own mental health and reaching out for help is what brought him back on track. Now he wants to give back to the community by doing something that helped him.

“As I got into longer distance of running, I just found myself doing more thinking. The longer I was on my feet, more clarity,” Gallagher says.

Starting September 21, the day he lost his father 25 years ago, he’s running 21 half-marathons over 21 days straight to raise money for Pathstone Mental Health in Niagara which provides support for children and youth.

READ MORE: 21 half-marathons, 21 days: Burlington firefighter’s fundraiser for mental health

Initially the goal was to raise $21,000 and since he hit that target this morning, he’s now raising it to $40,000.

Gallagher’s message to everyone is to ask for help.

In order to support his Dad, Gallagher’s Son is setting up a lemonade stand every Monday at Murray Street Park.

“Charged for a dollar, but in the end, we’ll see how much and then we’ll split in half. and actually, if it’s an odd number, he’ll get the extra dollar,” says Myles Gallagher.

The link to donate to Pathstone Mental Health is on chch.com and there is more information on Gallagher’s Instagram page.

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