Flight Lieutenant Aaron Doherty is a man on a mission. The Amberley based air traffic control officer recently completed a 1,000 kilometre bike ride from Amberley to Sydney for mental illness research.
The ride, which raised over $7,000 for Australian Rotary Health, took Aaron 8 days to complete. He requested the money support a pilot research study into the causes of depression in adolescents. The research is being conducted by Dr Naomi Wray from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
Aaron‘s brother has bi-polar disorder, a condition more widely known as manic depression. “Mental illness needs more money for research” Aaron said. “My ride from Amberley to Sydney, with all the aches, pains and testing conditions, was nothing compared to the daily struggle of people living with depression. I am so happy I could contribute this money to Dr Wray’s important research”.
Dr Wray’s pilot study will investigate the theory that cytokines, the key elements in the body’s response to infection, may be present when there is no infection and cause depression.
The study will determine if genetic variations in cytokine levels in the blood of 16 year old children can be detected. If so, a full study will investigate the relationship between cytokines and depression in adolescents. It will then determine if the relationship has a genetic basis.
Aaron’s ride may not have happened but for his strong commitment to Australian Rotary Health. Earlier in the year he was based in Darwin. He had entered the Darwin to Broome stage of the organisation’s Great Australian Bike Ride, a 17,800 kilometre ride around Australia for mental illness research. However, before the Ride reached Darwin Aaron was transferred to the Amberley RAAF Base.
Undeterred by this snag Aaron decided to do an individual ride as an add-on to the Great Australian Bike Ride. He set out with two RAAF friends as support crew a few weeks after the 7 month Ride finished in Melbourne on 10 October.
“Aaron has shown extraordinary dedication to an important cause” said Australian Rotary Health’s Corporate Manager Terry Davies. “We are very grateful to him and his support crew ”.