A passion for mental health and close experience with cancer has inspired Bali bombing survivor Phil Britten to join The Hospital Research Foundation Group in Western Australia as an Ambassador.
Having faced unimaginable trauma following the 2002 Bali bombings, Phil has spent years navigating the long and often unseen journey of recovery – and now channels that experience into helping others.
“When you have the lived experience of something so challenging and difficult, it’s almost like a way to give back to what was given to me in my times of need,” Phil said.
“I went through a roller coaster of destructive behaviours and mental and emotional challenges in overcoming the Bali bombing tragedy.
“Most people think the act itself – the bombing, the burns, the injuries – are the worst part. It’s not, it’s the start. And you can quickly spiral out of control and find yourself in the deepest darkest holes with no way out.”
Phil found a way out of his darkness through public speaking, as well as martial arts.
“My whole purpose in life since then has been about impact in the community. You can speak in a room of five – or 5000 – people and the impact is the same,” Phil said.
“You discover over the years that life happens. Whether it’s a terrorist attack, or a car crash or an illness – no one is protected from the dark shadow of mental health.”
Phil and his family know this more than most, with his wife receiving a shock breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
“She’s had a double mastectomy and is in the middle of chemotherapy, but thankfully doesn’t have to do radiation,” he said.
“Finding ourselves in this turmoil again, we’ve been using all the strategies that we’ve learnt.”
As an Ambassador, Phil is passionate about using his platform to raise awareness and funds for The Hospital Research Foundation Group, and was particularly drawn to the breadth of causes we support.
“For me personally, The Hospital Research Foundation Group was a very obvious choice,” he said.
“A – because of the ability to choose an area and have a real breadth of options to raise money for, and B – having mental health part of that was important to me.
“And so yes I do have a connection to mental health and breast cancer – but as time goes on, as an Ambassador, I really want to encourage people to raise money for not only the causes I’m passionate about but an area that’s close to them.”
Thank you Phil! To donate to Phil’s cause, visit his fundraising page here.
