“This world’s tough” – Professional basketball player from Salford shares his mental health story

Salford resident and professional basketball player Kofi Joseph said he got to a point where he “was just done with everything.”

“I just started making terrible decisions man, I started drinking more, I’m no longer hanging around my team mates and stuff,” added Kofi.

Born in Birmingham, Kofi represented the country playing basketball and currently plays for the Manchester Giants.

Following his early success, Kofi was offered prestigious basketball scholarships within the American high school and college systems as a way of getting into professional basketball.

However, when he moved to the States he suffered from serious hip injuries, which impacted his progress within the sport which severely affected his mental health.

With the struggles of being far away from his family and living in a competitive environment through the demand of sport, he reached his lowest point and even considered suicide.

“At my lowest point, I did contemplate suicide.

“But then what really got me was (thinking) ‘people are going to miss you’.

“And then it got to the point where it was like, ‘how about we just don’t now? If we feel like this tomorrow, cool, just win the next hour.

“What can we do?’ Anything that’s just not that.”

He added: “On the face of it everything can look great, but people can be really struggling underneath. And that’s why I want to be open about my experience.”

The now Salford resident has teamed up with the NHS Greater Manchester to share his story so that mental health becomes “just another thing to talk about.”

Kofi added: “I want to bring mental health to culture because once you destigmatise it and reduce the taboo, people aren’t scared to talk about it. It’s just another thing to talk about.

“That’s the big passion for me, and I’m just here to support in any way I can. I want people to know that it’s okay to struggle.”

Stories of Hope are a pivotal part of the Greater Manchester Shining a Light on Suicide – a campaign which aims to bring the issue of suicide out of the dark, break the stigma and help people find the support they need.

The suicide prevention campaign also marks the national Time to Talk Day, which encourages conversations about mental health.

Judd Skelton, Strategic Commissioning Lead for Suicide Prevention & Bereavement Support for NHS Greater Manchester, said: “We are really grateful to Kofi, and all those who share their stories of hope, for opening up about their struggles with mental health and suicide.

“Time to Talk Day is an opportunity for the nation to have a wider conversation about mental health. The more we talk, the more we can break that stigma.”

Judd continued by adding: “Suicide is preventable and the earlier we talk about what may be on our mind, the sooner we can share the load and reduce things reaching crisis point.”

“Talking about our feelings can feel scary or embarrassing, but it is the first step to getting help. We hope that Stories of Hope, like Kofi’s, give people who may be struggling, hope that things can change for the better and encourage them to talk.”

More information can be found here – Stories of Hope – Shining a Light on Suicide 

Whether you’re feeling suicidal, worried someone else is, or have lost someone to suicide, you’re not alone. Whatever you’re going through, find the support you need. Visit www.shiningalightonsuicide.org.uk or call Samaritans on 116 123.