Sulu Fitzpatrick’s Inspiring Journey: Overcoming Alcohol and Depression
Sulu Fitzpatrick’s Inspiring Journey: Overcoming Alcohol and Depression
Netball sensation Sulu Fitzpatrick, a proud Silver Fern, has faced a long and arduous journey filled with personal struggles. After years of battling depression, anxiety, and alcohol misuse, she’s finally ready to share her inspiring story of resilience and redemption.
The Dream and the Struggle
Wearing the black uniform with the silver fern emblem is a dream come true for many young Kiwis. It represents years of dedication, sacrifice, and hard work. For Sulu Fitzpatrick, pulling on that dress for the fourth time in her nearly decade-long career last October was more than just pride and happiness—it was a profound sense of belonging.
A Journey to Self-Discovery
At 28, Sulu has emerged as a strong, confident, and genuinely happy woman after years of struggling with mental health issues, food and alcohol problems, and a lack of self-confidence. Her journey has been marked by significant challenges, including a surprise pregnancy with twins and the pressures of balancing motherhood with an elite athletic career.
Early Struggles and Feeling Different
From a young age, Sulu felt out of place. Growing up in Auckland, she always sensed that she was different and struggled to fit in. This feeling of not belonging led her to hide aspects of her personality and pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
“I got very good at putting on a mask,” she reveals. “I knew how to make people like me, but I never felt quite right on the inside. I was still quite an awkward person, and I didn’t understand who I was. It was easier to hide it.”
Turning to Food and Alcohol
With no one to talk to about her internal struggles, Sulu turned to food and alcohol to cope. Her weight fluctuated wildly, and binge drinking became a way to counter her increasing sadness. Even as she played for her franchise teams, the Northern Mystics and later the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, her drinking continued.
“In my first years of playing ANZ, I began drinking quite heavily around netball,” she says. “I personally don’t think there’s an issue with drinking, but I know that I have an issue with it because of what was going on inside my head. Once I started, I couldn’t stop.”
The Turning Point
Sulu’s destructive path continued even after she made the Silver Ferns for the first time in 2011. She played a solitary test match before being dropped from the team as her personal battles started to impact her career. She reached a point where she could no longer hide her struggles.
“I couldn’t do it anymore,” she admits. “By then, I couldn’t hide anymore; there was too much going on. I was dropped because of everything—I was still drinking, my weight was up and down, and I couldn’t do what I needed to do at the Magic either.”
A Surprise Pregnancy and Motherhood
Sulu’s life took another unexpected turn when she became pregnant with twins. The pregnancy was a massive shock, especially for her mother, who had been her primary support. The twins’ father wasn’t allowed to stay in the family house, leaving Sulu to figure out motherhood on her own.
“I was so overwhelmed,” she recalls. “All of a sudden, I’m a mum of two. I loved the babies straight away, but I didn’t feel like a mum at all, especially in those first few months. I didn’t feel that maternal connection at all.”
Finding Strength and Support
Thankfully, Sulu had the support of her parents and her birth mother, who came from Australia to help. Without their support, she doesn’t know where she or her babies would be. This support system became her salvation, helping her find the strength to overcome her battles.
A New Beginning
Today, Sulu stands as a testament to resilience and the power of family and faith. She has found happiness and a sense of purpose, not just for herself but for her family and her village. Her story is one of hope and inspiration, showing that even in the darkest times, there is a path to redemption and joy.
For more information on mental health and support, visit NAMI.
