Man starts Polar Plunge team to raise awareness on mental illness

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — A local man has a second lease on life and a whole new perspective.

He's now using this as an opportunity to give back to the community.

Mike Primm is starting a team for the Polar Plunge on March 2nd to raise awareness for mental illnesses.

He just started raising money towards his $2,000 goal this week.

"It used to be I didn't want to interact with people," Primm said.

He decided to start his team, “Warrior Proud,” after a series of events.

It all started back in 2015 when he was inspecting a grain bin when he slipped and knocked himself out for 20 minutes and only suffered a broken knee cap.

“That’s not much to lose, considering I could be dead,” Primm said. “So I feel really fortunate because if I hadn’t fell down there, they would’ve never found out I had cancer.”

What started out as a lesion soon turned into cancer. Primm was operated on and went into remission but after struggling for some time, he checked into a mental hospital.

After getting medicated and going through therapy, Primm has a new outlook on life.

He’s plunging to get rid of the negative stigma surrounding mental illness.

“People need to understand that just because somebody went down to those depths, doesn’t mean they can’t come back,” Primm said.

So far, Primm is the only plunger on his team and he’s looking for others to join him and support his cause.

To learn more about the Polar Plunge, to donate, or register for a team, click here.