The sister of a taleted young model who died suddenly aged just 20, said their family "will never get over" his death. Zachary Geddis died by suicide in March 2017, whilst attending the University of the Arts, London where he was studying Fashion Illustration.
The Coleraine native has been remembered as the "life and the soul of the party", and was "adored, loved, and admired" by many within the community.
Zachary's sister Yasmin said that her brother had struggled with his mental health since he was 14 years old, undergoing treatment until he turned 18.
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Following his death, Ms Geddis made a promise that his "legacy of kindness, fire and hard work" will live through her voice forever.
"He was such a lovely person to be around," Yasmin told MyDerry . "He had his problems. He had struggled with his mental health since he was in his teenage years and had been on medication and underwent therapy for it. This was someone who was very confident, had a big heart, and had got into the best university for his chosen field in the world.
In October 2017, Yasmin founded the Zachary Geddis Break the Silence Trust (ZGBTST) with the aim of changing the mental health system forever.
She continued: "Unless you go through something like this then it's hard to explain. It's a different type of passing than someone dying naturally or in an accident. You have to deal with the fact every day that was their choice and that choice was to leave you behind.
"My parents have also lost their son and now there is only me left. They have struggled to come to terms with what has happened. I have also had infertility problems.
"I've had five miscarriages in the time since Zachary's death but thankfully last year I had a healthy baby boy. I thought that might've been something that would help my parents, to stride them on but they lost their son to suicide at aged 20. He was going on to do amazing things and it's naturally very difficult for them."
"All we can do at this point is do everything we can to keep his memory alive," Yasmin added. "The more people are talking about Zachary and his story then hopefully that is helping to save people's lives.
"I don't want people to remember me or what my family are doing but to remember Zachary for who he was. Zachary was popular, beautiful, intelligent and funny, but even the most confident people can become victims."
This month Yasmin and her father Terry Geddis will take on a huge 800-mile charity cycle from Coleraine to Malin Head in Co Donegal then to Clonakilty in Co Cork.
To raise funds for ZGBTST, Terry has already undertaken three massive charity cycles across the Island of Ireland, raising awareness along the way. A GoFundMe page has already been established and it's hoped that the goal of £5,000 can be reached to open the North Coast's first mental health centre.
Yasmin added: "My dad's like an Ironman. He's raised over £20,000 previously for our charity. I've been training for the last nine months to be able to complete this challenge and I'm doing it for Zachary.
"I'm also doing it for all of the people who have got help through ZGBTST in the past and sat down in front of me over the last five years and shared their stories."
You can find out more about the Zachary Geddis Break the Silence Trust HERE. If you would like to donate to the charity's GoFundMe, you can also visit HERE.
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