Brothers plan world ride for depression diagnostic

Two Brisbane-based brothers are preparing to embark on a round-the-world motorcycling odyssey in memory of their sister – and to raise funds for QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.

Dylan and Lawson Reid were shattered by the loss of their much-loved sister to depression in 2011 and are now hoping to raise $200,000 for research into the illness.

“Heidi was 27 when she succumbed to the darkness of depression. The loss of Heidi shattered the lives of our family and her friends,” they said.

“We want to do something in Heidi’s memory that will make a positive difference, so other families might not have to go through what we have.

“We decided that while awareness about depression has come a long way there is still so much that needs to be done to understand the science behind it.”

Coordinator of QIMR Berghofer’s Mental Health/Complex Disorders Program Professor Michael Breakspear said at least one in five Australians will experience major depressive disorders (MDD) at some time in their life, but there is no laboratory or imaging test to diagnose them.

“The funds raised by Brothers Reid will go towards much-needed MDD research at QIMR Berghofer,” Professor Breakspear said.

“Our research uses imaging, genetics and modelling to understand the causes of depression and to improve its diagnosis and management.”

The adventure motorcycling project – which can be followed at www.BrothersReid.com – has already raised more than $25,000 for QIMR Berghofer.

The brothers will set off in the coming weeks from Brisbane to Darwin to ship their bikes to Dili.

They will then hop through Indonesia to mainland South-East Asia and ride for Europe via the Old Silk Route.

From London the brothers will ride across Africa to Cape Town and ship to Argentina.

Finally, they’ll traverse the Americas south to north and ship from Alaska to complete their lap of the world.

Their journey is expected to take more than two years.

“We’re both bachelors with engineering backgrounds so we’ve been working long stints on fly-in fly-out projects to save for the trip,” Dylan and Lawson said.

“We’re hoping to secure sponsorships to help out with some of the costs, but all monetary donations will go directly to QIMR Berghofer.”

Donations can be made at: www.BrothersReid.com