Lance Picioane may have made a mark or several during his AFL career, but it’s off field and through the work of his not-for-profit organisation Love Me Love You where he is really having an impact.
Lance was just 17 and a few days out of high school when he boarded a flight for South Australia, where he was drafted with the Adelaide Crows. The move was a shock to his system. He left the very strong support base inherent with an Eastern European/Australian family, and didn’t really have the mechanisms in place to cope with such changes.
Moving to the Hawthorn Football Club, Lance returned to Melbourne and back into the family fold, but he was troubled by mental health conditions. At the time, he didn’t feel comfortable putting up his hand and asking for help. Eventually, with the encouragement of his wife, his family and his immediate network of close friends, Lance was able to work through his challenges and seek help.
These days, he’s guided by three words – Accept. Acknowledge. Action.
It is these three principles in life that have helped him not only get back on track, but also form Love Me Love You, which seeks to foster positive change through awareness, education and acceptance to remove the stigma associated with mental health, drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and life hardships.
To that end, Shane Kelly is getting on board and joining Love Me Love You’s, Ride With Me – a three-day cycling journey from Warrnambool to Melbourne taking place from 9th October 2015.
Enter 'Love Me Love You' into your search box and find out more about this great event, but in the meantime, hear from Lance and Shane in this latest great episode from Off the Bike.
Check out other stories from the Shane Kelly Off the Bike series:
Emma Carney - not one to let a cardiac arrest stop her from completing a swim session.
Tim Spiteri - a human 'meteor' on an epic ocean adventure.
Bridie O'Donnell - a tenacious force in women's cycling.
Billy-Joe Shearsby - the self-confessed 'flash in the pain' world champion cyclist who caught the attention and admiration of a young Bradley Wiggins.
Tammy Foster - how two siblings' cancer journey is now helping others.
Dave Sanders - behind every exceptional coach lies an exceptional athlete.
Josiah Ng - the power of five, the mysterious world of Keirin track cycling in Japan, and life post bike for this Malaysian champion.
Jess Gallagher - Gearing up for Rio 2016.
