Who is Mike?

Charming, funny, goofy, highly intelligent, great to be around…but let’s be honest, slightly annoying, and self-centred. We love him anyway. Then one day, we see he’s struggling a bit. It’s subtle at first. Then it overtakes him. He needs us. We need to help him but we’re not sure how. What kind of help does he need? Where do we find it? What does this mean for his job, his finances, his future? We need a path. We need help navigating the options.

Then, it was too late.

So who was our Mike?

Mike was a brother. Mike was a son. Mike was a godfather. And Mike was our friend. Mike was born in Newcastle, England in February 1966 shortly before his family emigrated to Australia. Having spent his formative years in and around Perth, Mike set off to explore the world with little more than a camera and a backpack. Early on in his travels he settled in London, and so began his career in Finance.

From London it is fair to say he saw the world. Be it Oktoberfest, the Running of the Bulls, catching the sun rise on a beach in Miami, long holidays to Bali, or taking the train to the Brass Bell outside of Cape Town. However, he was happiest just standing in the drizzle outside a pub in the City of London with his friends ‘because it wasn’t coming down hard enough to dilute his beer.’

Mike succumbed to mental illness just shy of Christmas 2015. Towards the end, as the illness took hold, we struggled to recognize our friend. Trying to find resources, advice and support was difficult in such a short time frame and it is our sincere hope that Mike’s Mates will help you in your search for help.

We don’t want you to lose your ‘Mike’. As Mike’s Mates (5 London based professionals), we have created a central hub of information on mental health services. So you can find the right support, at the right time. For you, or for your ‘Mike’.

We are all Mike’s Mates.