By: Megan Palera
mpalera@klkntv.com
Wayne Cho suffers from anxiety and bipolar disorder, but he's proving that you can still enjoy life by taking it one step at a time.
His shirt reads, "I have anxiety," and Wayne Cho wears it proudly. He's learned to control his symptoms by running.
"My goal is to run 16,000 miles across the world," said Cho. It's what landed this Canadian in Lincoln. Throughout his journey, Cho hopes to inspire others suffering from mental illness to make a change, to start living again.
He shared his story with others during the 'Jazz in the Garden' event put on by the Mental Health Association of Nebraska. "Our programs are so unique and so effective, but only a few people know about it. All of our programs are consumer run, peer run. All of our employees are people with lived experiences with mental health issues and all of our services are non-clinical," said Executive Director for the Mental Health Association of Nebraska, Alan Green.
The goal is get people to think of it as a mental health issue, not an illness. Everyone has issues, it's just how you deal with them.
Cho is living proof, his only prescription is running. "From a person who is hopeless, have no goals in life, have no dreams, it just shows that things are possible. Everyone has the ability to overcome the challenges and live life to the best," said Cho.
Cho is now 3,000 miles through his trek across the world. He started in January and will finish in Australia in 2014.
