Guy Harvey Magazine — Spring/Summer 2021

Page 47

MENTAL HEALTH

CHASTENATION

PHOTOS BY YUCELOZEL / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (LEFT) AND COURTESY OF CHASTENATION AND KEEP CALM AND PADDLE ON

Chasten Whitfield is a young earth shaker with an inspirational story. Chasten started fishing competitively at age 14 and instinctively donated the money she won to children’s charities. At the time, Chasten volunteered for a fishing camp, where she met somebody who inspired her to make a difference — Easton, a young boy with spina bifida. Chasten helped Easton catch a fish from a pier, and the joy that it brought him pushed her to take a step further. She borrowed a friend’s boat that would fit his wheelchair so he could feel the freedom of fishing that she enjoys. She knew that day that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life; shortly after, Chasten partnered with Bluefin Boats to build a specially adapted boat — and Chastenation was born. Chasten says that the goal of Chastenation, which is a “nation” of partners that help her in her mission,

is to build self-esteem in children with disabilities and to give them a day where they only need to think about fighting fish. Chasten strongly believes that being on or near the ocean reduces stress and anxiety, increases a sense of well-being and happiness, lowers your heart and breathing rate, and “just makes you feel good.” It has been her go-to for relief since she was young. She says that she doesn’t have to be fishing, and just being on the water is incredibly healing: “While my mom was going through breast cancer, on her bad days, she would do the same and go out on the water just to get out. She said it made her feel so much better.” When it comes to the children that she helps, Chasten says that she hopes for equality and for the world to treat them the way that the fish do — with no discrimination. To learn more about Chastenation, visit ChastenWhitfield.com.

Chasten Whitfield teaching a young boy how to fish

KEEP CALM AND PADDLE ON Keep Calm and Paddle On (KCPO) was established in Canada in 2012 by Chad Guenter with this exact motto in mind. At first, Chad was on a mission for personal happiness, but his altruistic nature inevitably made the mission much bigger than himself. KCPO raises money for mental health charities through sponsored long-distance paddles that aim to raise awareness and end the stigma associated with mental health issues. In the first year, the impact was so great that the charity movement was extended to the Cayman Islands by Chad's dear friend, Jasmin “Yaz” Muratijic. Since 2012, more and more people have joined Chad and Yaz across lakes and oceans and down rivers, anywhere that a body of water has given them the energy that they needed to talk openly about their personal struggles.Yaz believes that “water in general is a healer.There’s nothing else you can think about other than the task in front of you.” When I asked him what about water makes it healing,Yaz responded, “Just the sheer size of it. It demands respect and focus. It’s a living organism, and it changes from day to day — the currents, winds, swells.You can learn about it every day and never fully understand. It’s a form of meditation, and it doesn't matter if you spend one or 10 hours paddling, the natural high is unmistaken and very addictive — in its greatest form. It’s just you and the elements.” KCPO wants people who may be suffering in silence to come out to paddle and talk about it, that depression is not a weakness, and that collectively we are stronger and can beat it together. To join a paddle or support KCPO, visit kcpo.ky (Cayman Islands) or kcpo.ca (Canada). GHOF.org | 47


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