Many of my friends tease me when Kelly Hrudey comes on TV; they like to call him my boyfriend. I will admit that I did have a girl hood crush on him! I will also admit that the sight of his little chubby cheeks is still a pleasant change over many of the other sports broadcasters. And just maybe, I tend to sit a little straighter and look up from whatever I am doing when I hear his voice. I also will not lie that if I see a link mentioning his name, I tend to click on it.

Well today there was a link on facebook posted by a friend that I respect. A friend that doesn't tend to link to foolish pictures or sensationalized news stories. A link that mentioned Kelly Hrudey's name. As I followed that link it took me to an article in which Hrudey was sharing the story of his daughter's mental illness. Reading it, my heart broke for their family as they talked about the struggles (she was 10 when it started - that is the age of my oldest nephew . . . ) and rejoiced as they talked about the victories (she is now 20 and she has learned to cope to an extent that allows her to live a full life). And my respect (and my hockey crush) grew a little bit more.

So when there was a knock on our door this evening and Jimmy sent me to answer (apparently he has determined that pajama pants are not an appropriate wardrobe choice when opening the door to a stranger) and it was the Mental Health organization canvassing and Jimmy's wallet was right by the door - I will admit I had to stop and take a breath and donate only some of the money in the wallet - not all of it.

Mercies - well played mental health, well played.

In all honesty though - I didn't think twice about wanting to donate. I applaud the campaigns that they have undertaken to normalize mental illness. To make it okay to talk about. To take away the shame. To allow others to hold their head up high and share about those illnesses the same way we share a broken leg or cancer with our support network. To tear away the shame and embarrassment and realize that mental health is important.

So if someone comes to your door looking for a donation; if the grocery store asks if you can spare a dollar, if there is someone at the mall - regardless of whether you think Kelly is cute - maybe you can spare a dollar or two to provide easier access to help for all those suffering.

And you gotta admit, Kelly is pretty cute! It's those goalies - they get the best of me every time!