Donna McVeigh surprises daughter Stacey McVeigh after hiking Bibbulmun Track for mental health

A woman who bravely walked the full length of the Bibbulmun Track to raise awareness for mental health three years after she tried to take her own life was met with a beautiful surprise when she arrived at the Albany terminus. Stacey McVeigh had hiked for 54 days when she arrived at the end of the 1006km track on Wednesday to find her mother Donna – who she had not seen since October 2023 – waiting for her. The New Zealanders were separated in 2021 when Stacey moved to Rockingham from Waikato with her wife Kirsty McVeigh and last saw each other nine months ago. When Stacey told her wife she planned to hike the whole track, Kirsty said “oh no, another one of her crazy schemes” but soon came around to the idea, which involved 18 months of planning and a year of training. “You could see Stacey loved every moment of it,” she said. Kirsty orchestrated the surprise reunion, which was particularly special for the close mother and daughter as it marked a major mental health milestone for Stacey who was rescued by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter when she tried to take her own life three years ago. “I’m grateful that the angels sent her back to us,” Donna said. “It was just magic,” Kirsty said of the tearful reunion. Battling a desire to be by her mother’s bedside after Donna was hospitalised for an angioplasty two days before she started her hike, Stacey set out on April 6, determined to inspire others struggling with their mental health to get help. Taking just seven days’ rest, the 42-year-old proved her resilience, at one point stitching her foot back together with the help of a fellow hiker after an object pierced her boot. “Someone might just see this story and it helps them make it through the next day, keep having a little bit of hope,” she said. “When you get to the place, I’m at now it’s a really beautiful place.” Stacy is close to her goal to raise $3500 for the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter through her Givealittle fundraiser: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/shift-strolls-walks-a-1006-km-to-raise-suicide. Lifeline: 13 11 14.