Anyone who views our sports stars as pampered should read the story of cricketer Marcus Trescothick, the exquisitely talented Somerset and former England Test batsman.
To those of us who are fans of the sport, the prospect of spending one winter in Australia, the next in India and the following one in the Caribbean sounds like the good life.
And Trescothick, England's 11th highest run scorer, would still be travelling that circuit today had things turned out differently.
Instead he has retired from international cricket because of something that contrasts so harshly with "the good life": he suffers from depression.
He writes in his forthcoming book, Coming Back to Me, about how, on an England tour of India, he worried about his wife, Hayley, who had been battling post-natal depression, and how, in his hotel room his mind was "pulling itself apart in a hundred directions".
In traditional sportsman style, he tried to hide his feelings from his team-mates but what happened next proved that depression is a strong beast to slay.
He writes in his book: "What did I have to worry about? I had always been someone who coped. But depression doesn't care who it attacks; if it wants you, you cannot beat it off with a CV or a bank balance."
Trescothick admits there may never be a cure but work with a cognitive therapist has helped him to build coping strategies. His cricket and his county, Somerset, have also benefited as they challenge for the county championship.
Trescothick's tale coincides with the return to cricket of another cricketer who, Reuters reports, has had depression: the Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait. Disappointingly, the Australian media continue to describe his condition as emotional and physical exhaustion or physical and mental distress.
Even so, we have mercifully moved on from the days of the Hughie Gallacher, the former England footballer who threw himself off a railway bridge in an era when depression was largely treated with an indefinite spell in an asylum. No wonder people kept schtum.
One hopes we have also moved on from the "Bonkers Bruno" style of headline, a reference to the state of mind of the former boxing champion, Frank Bruno. Even The Sun, on whose front page the insult was adorned, gave a more sympathetic spin in later editions.
We hear much about the lack of role models for young people, particularly for teenage boys. For those who have mental health issues, they can surely seek inspiration from the story and candour of Marcus Trescothick.
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