Bella’s story is about caring for a parent with a mental illness.

Bella’s mum has suffered from mental health issues for most of Bella’s life, and in recent years diagnosed as bipolar - a condition in which the person experiences extreme highs and the lowest of lows.

Bella’s role in her mum’s life has seen her shoulder many responsibilities and become someone whom her mum has really depended on, at times as a matter of life or death, and often leaving Bella wondering if she would ever be able to go to university and start to live her own life.

After making the decision to not only care for her mum but embark on her own life journey, Bella wants to share her experience as a young carer of someone with a mental illness and highlight the lack of support for young people like her and the impact of this.