WHEN Tamara and Richard Wraith received an email from Tomaree High School student Mikaylah Thomas asking to collaborate on a charity art exhibition, they were “completely blown away”.
Tamara and Richard are the founders of Amber’s White Light, a charity dedicated to raising money for research into complex mental health illnesses.
“As soon as we started speaking to Mikaylah, we felt connected,” Mr Wraith said.
“She’s a treasure.”
Their daughter, Amber, tragically passed away by suicide in 2023 after the mental healthcare system failed her.
“We now think, years down the track, that she probably had emerging schizophrenia, but she was never correctly diagnosed,” Mr Wraith told News Of The Area.
“There is so much catching up to do in the mental health space.
“We need to find a way to get full help for people who struggle.
“It’s not their fault, and it’s not their family’s fault.
“If only love could be enough: She had so much love around her.”
Among their many projects, Amber’s White Light is supporting Monash University in Melbourne to develop a biologically based test to identify emerging mental illness, through a combination of blood tests and eye movement tracking tests.
The test can detect and differentiate signs for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and PTS.
Early results have been extremely promising, Mr Wraith said.
As always, the bottleneck for better research is funding.
Fortunately, the Port Stephens community came to show its support at the opening of the Art for Amber exhibition at Lion Studios, Taylors Beach, organised by Mikaylah.
Of the 400 original artworks donated by artists from all over the country (and even overseas), more than 100 were purchased just on the first day, raising more than $5000.
Amber’s parents, who were showered with love during the opening night of the exhibition, shared Amber’s message to the community.
“Amber was a young woman with lots of potential,” Tamara said.
“She lived every moment to the fullest, and she loved her friends.
“Until she became unwell, she was thriving. But even when she was unwell, she still reached out to her friends, wanting to see others get help.”
Artworks from the Art for Amber exhibition will remain available to purchase throughout October, with 100 per cent of the funds going to Amber’s White Light.
By Nico LOMBARDO
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