Student bodybuilder turns mental illness tragedy into triumph

An Atlantic Veterinary College student hopes to raise not just money, but also awareness of mental health issues, as she fundraises for a national bodybuilding competition.

In Oct. 2013, Elizabeth Moses's mother took her own life after a long battle with depression.

I was at the gym and I would look at myself and I would feel happy.- Elizabeth Moses

Moses, who was a first-year student at the time, found herself heading in a downward spiral.

"It was hard for me to wake up in the morning and, I mean, I would see the sunshine, but I wouldn't really see it. And that's tough."

She went to counselling but found she also needed something else.

That's when she got serious about the gym. 

"I was at the gym and I would look at myself and I would feel happy," said Moses.

"So that feeling of just being accomplished, 'Oh, I just lifted that and I never thought I would be able to lift that before.'"

Support 'unreal'

Moses loved the feeling so much that this April she entered her first bodybuilding competition.

Moses debuted in the transformation category. Her story was read out to the crowd and she says she doesn't think there was a dry eye in the house.

"It was mental, physical emotional, everything you can imagine it did for me," said Moses.

"Competing is tough but it's rewarding. It's rewarding and the support out there is unreal, especially from everyone knowing my story."

She placed third at the competition, earning her a trip to Nationals this July and, in August, a world's qualifier.

Training gave Moses confidence

"It's nice to be up there and have people recognize how much hard work you've put into something and cheer for you. That's a nice feeling. My mom would have never of gotten that. She would always feel like she wasn't good enough to show off, so I wanted to be good enough to show off," said Moses.

Now as Moses tries to fundraise to get to these shows, she's sharing her story on her online funding site.

She says training gave her the confidence to do that.

"I need to talk so that other people who might be going through the same thing will understand and know that they don't have to be quiet, they don't have to sit down to mental health, that they can stand up and that they can voice their opinions, and tell their stories. And they're not alone."

Moses says she needs $2,000 to attend the competitions and any excess she receives will be donated to a suicide prevention group in her mother's name.