Primus and patients share tips for staying positive
29 Sep 2004
Matthew Primus, Captain of AFL Premiers Port Adelaide, has joined forces with Headroom - the Women's and Children's Hospital's (WCH) positive mental health project - as its first official Ambassador.
Headroom Project Manager Christine Lock said Matthew was the ideal Ambassador because he is a great example of someone who has had to work on maintaining positive mental health while dealing with a setback. In Matthew's case this was injuries that have meant taking time out from his beloved football.
"Not playing in the Premiership side could have really affected Matthew, but he uses strategies to look after his mental health to cope with life's challenges", she said.
Matthew says he is fortunate to have a natural ability to see the positives in life.
"I've had my knee reconstructed twice – both times early in the season", he said. "The start of the season is an exciting time and all of a sudden it's been taken away from me. For the first couple of hours after hearing the verdict on my injury, I'm angry about missing the whole year and disappointed about not being involved in the team's on-field achievements.
"But after that, I reflect on what's happened and realise, while I'm not playing on the weekends, I'm still in involved with the team and there is a myriad of things I can help the team with. So rather than seeing it as a negative, I think about all the things I can still do".
Matthew will be visiting the WCH Adolescent Ward on Friday, October 1, in the lead up to Mental Health Week, which runs from October 10 to October 16.
The theme for Mental Health Week 2004 is Take care of your mind and body - and focuses on the relationship between mental health and physical health, which is an important message for everyone. Having a chronic physical health condition can be stressful and can contribute to the development of mental health problems. Looking after mental health is just as important as looking after physical health - something to which both Matthew and WCH patients can relate.
"I'm lucky because I am generally a pretty fit, healthy person", Matthew said. "But for chronically ill kids, staying positive must be a real challenge at times. I'm really interested to hear how they keep their mental health on track".
What: Headroom Ambassador Matthew Primus to visit
WCH Adolescent Ward patients
Why: To promote the Mental Health Week theme -
Take care of your mind and body
When: Friday, October 1, at 11am
Where: Media are to meet Media Liaison Officer Kirsty Mudge
at the Kermode Street entrance
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