Cape to Cairo trek to raise awareness for mental health

EPIC JOURNEY

- BRANDON NEL

GROWING up, Australian Xavier Hall struggled with severe depression and other mental health problems.

Now 29, he has flown from Melbourne to Cape Town to begin what he calls the biggest challenge of his life - a walk from Cape Town to Cairo, entirely on foot, to raise money and awareness for mental health.

Hall said he has believed for years that mental health is a universal issue.

"It’s all about mental health. It’s something that I believe really, really strongly in," he told the Cape Argus yesterday.

"In my opinion, it is actually the most important issue that we face."

He said his own struggles began in his late high-school years.