FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Runner Uses Mississauga Marathon to Battle Depression
Nivin Raizada, a twenty-six year old native of Mississauga, Ontario, will
be running the 2016 Mississauga Marathon using his personal experience of
battling depression as his motivation. Nivin has never backed down from a
challenge, whether it was pursuing a soccer scholarship, graduating from
university, or coming to terms with and fighting against the traumatizing
and destructive effects of dealing with depression.
Nivin's adolescent years were about as impressive as you could imagine. He
was a member of the Tecumseh Secondary School's Mississauga Marathon 10KM
Student Relay Challenge championship team and was making multiple visits
with his soccer club to NCAA athletic facilities. As Nivin approached his
final year of high school, there was a significant drop off in his
attitude, social life, and overall happiness.
"Within a six month period after graduating from high school, I could count
on one hand the number of times I left the house," recalled Nivin. "I would
be up every night until four in the morning, locked away in my room
refusing to answer my phone or interact with friends and family; I checked
myself out of reality and life."
Neither Nivin nor his parents really understood that he was exhibiting
signs of depression. However, after his mood continued to worsen, he knew
he had to do something. A self-realization journey through the USA, India,
& Europe seemed like a great way to escape and truly find himself.
Unfortunately, upon returning home Nivin only saw his depression worsen. "I
was confused and unaware of what was really going on. I decided to
'self-medicate' myself with alcohol and pills to try and numb the pain, but
nothing was working."
One way Nivin felt he could combat his depression was going to university,
which led him to follow his passion for sports as he enrolled in the Sport
Management program at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Throughout his four years at university, Nivin's depression never weakened
in spite of regular trips to the university health and wellness clinic.
"There were times where I didn't know how I was going to graduate." With
the help of his friends and family he was able to buckle down, complete his
assignments, and eventually walk across the stage at convocation and
receive his degree. On the surface, Nivin seemed fine and in the process of
getting better. However, underneath it all he was still fighting this
illness back at home in the midst of a job hunt.
After a year and a half stuck at home, still depressed and trying to secure
employment, Nivin was getting incredibly frustrated and angry. Relations
with his father became strained and the tipping point came on an evening in
January 2015 where Nivin, with a bottle in his hand, ventured out into the
night looking for answers. Worried about what might have happened to him,
Nivin's parents called the police to come to their home and wait for his
return. After hours of waiting, Nivin finally came back home to two
officers and his parents sitting him down and outlining what had to be
done. Later that night Nivin checked himself into a local rehabilitation
center where the healing process finally began.
Checking in and completing the rehabilitation program was the first step
for Nivin, but the next part would be just as difficult: getting his body
back into shape. "Immediately after I got home from my time at the
rehabilitation clinic, the first thing I did was get on a bus to the
University of Toronto-Mississauga campus and signed up for a gym
membership. I treated going to the gym like my job," says Nivin. "I began
to run the two hundred metre track a couple of times a week and by
mid-February I decided that I was going to push myself to run the 10KM race
at the Mississauga Marathon on May 2, 2015."
Even while he was on the track running, Nivin was still subjected to the
lurking effects of his depression. "There was always some sort of force in
my head trying to block out any positive thoughts, but I had to push past
it and running helped me do that. Running for me is a form of meditation,
it allowed me to grapple with knowing that I could fight through the urge
to give up and quit when my depression told me I couldn't, and for me, that
was the best accomplishment in the world."
Running not only helped Nivin get back to where he once was physically, it
also helped him mentally as he developed a new mentality for everyday life
that he still lives by to this day. "Every day I wake up and say to myself:
my goal today is to set a new personal best, either physically running or
mentally dealing with my depression and rising up from the rock bottom I
constantly found myself at." Another tool Nivin uses to his advantage is
the motto of his alma mater, 'surgite', Latin for "push on". The famous
last words of Sir Isaac Brock became so meaningful to Nivin that he got it
tattooed on his wrist and that "a quick glance at it during a run gives me
that extra push to keep going". This motto and new mentality enabled Nivin
to complete his training and ultimately accomplish his goal of
participating in the 10KM event at the 2015 Mississauga Marathon, where he
finished with an impressive time of 46:39.
Just over one year has passed since Nivin sought treatment for his
depression, and he now says that he is the strongest he has ever been in
his entire life, both physically and mentally. Nivin was able to land a
full-time job at a private investigation firm, where he works as a video
and informational analyst while on the side he works as a soccer referee in
his home city of Mississauga. Nivin continues to train for upcoming races
and his dream of becoming a FIFA certified referee.
With one year of experience in the 10KM under his belt, Nivin has decided
to not only share his story, but dedicate his 2016 race at the Mississauga
Marathon to the cause that had held him back for years. For Nivin, "getting
outside and going for a run is the best medicine" and he cannot wait for
April 30, 2016 to set another personal best in the MNP 10KM Run.
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