In 2019, the world lost Darryl Paton to suicide.
A loving husband to Emily, a fabulous dad, a great brother, son, colleague, cousin, uncle and mate to many. At the time, only a few people knew Darryl had Bipolar and an even smaller number that it was having a large impact on his life. He carried a heavy burden of self-stigma, fearing if people knew, it would lead to judgement and him being treated differently. He insisted those who knew, kept his diagnosis under wraps.
"Darryl confided in me that telling others about his bipolar was terrifying, he couldn't do it, he couldn't say it out loud. So he chose to hide it. We must create a culture where discussing the big stuff that's going on becomes easier. Whether it's a good day or a rough one, we need to connect, check in on each other and have better open chat," Emily explains.
Nine months after Darryl's death, Emily rallied support from her community, amassing over 2,800 signatures in favour of a space to encourage people to connect and chat. After 2.5 years, Emily unveiled the first Chatterbox seat (but never planned to stop there).
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