Last December, my uncle took his life. We’re an extremely close family and we were stunned when that happened. It took a big toll on all of us.

I did a lot of research on the suicide statistics and I didn’t realise how high they were in Australia. Mental health issues are crippling our nation, in my opinion, and the numbers are rising every year.

That was how the WNBL's 'Lifeline Round' came about. In the last round of the season, every team donated $100 for every three-pointer they made, the WNBL matched the total number, and we were able to donate over $15,000 to Lifeline Australia. It was a really wonderful initiative, which will become an annual event.

But, more than the money raised, I wanted to create awareness and get people talking about it, because the stigma around mental health needs to end. We also need to be very conscious of the impact of social media and the keyboard warriors out there. Social media is a double-edged sword for many athletes and it can really affect people in a lot of ways.

My uncle was 46. People often tend to put on a brave face. You don’t know what they’re going through. So just in our family, from this we’re reaching out more and trying to have more open and honest conversations, which aren’t always easy.