Irish gay man Jack Fitzgerald has taken on the challenge to climb the seven tallest mountains in Ireland in seven days to raise funds for OneinFour, a charity organisation supporting adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Founded in 2003, OneinFour is an organisation that supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse through legal and mental health services. They provide counselling and family support services to survivors, as well as legal help when there is a court case.

Through the Mountains of Change initiative, Jack Fitzgerald will complete a series of hikes from May 19 to 25 to fundraise for the organisation. People are invited to donate to the charity and to join the hikes as an individual or by joining a group.

 

Visualizza questo post su Instagram

 

Un post condiviso da Jack Fitzgerald (@jackfitzcoaching)

Speaking to GCN ahead of the challenge, Jack recounted his own story of being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. “I experienced sexual abuse from the ages of 5-10 years old,” he shared. “I did not disclose this to anyone for nearly 20 years.

“My mental health quickly deteriorated as a teenager and after my first suicide attempt at 16 I was placed in a psychiatric hospital for four months. This cycle continued until I was about 25 when I found out about OneinFour and what they do.”

“My sexuality was a big factor as to why I felt I could never disclose about the sexual abuse to anyone. Some of my earliest memories are being picked on for being feminine, gay or queer and my abuser used this as a way to instill fear and place blame on me.”

“‘If you tell them about this, you’re telling them you are gay’. ‘You have to keep this a secret or you’ll get in trouble for being gay’. These sentences to an already terrified five-year-old was enough to guarantee I would stay silent through five more years of abuse and well into my twenties.

“I don’t think I understood what being gay was, I just knew by the way it was being said that it was not something I wanted to be.

“I have had many conversations with other queer survivors who have had this added shame, guilt and blame. There is a fear, as a gay man, that having been abused by a man, there will be added doubts and questions as to whether you brought it on yourself. Logically, we all know that abusers are always to blame but that’s not often how we feel or are made to feel,” Jack said.

Speaking about how things have changed since those days, Jack continued: “I feel incredibly privileged to live the life that I do now. I am able to connect with people in a way I never could before, my mental health has massively improved and while I’m still working on it, it is much more manageable now.”

“I know there are countless other survivors who have not yet had the opportunity that I have had and I want to show as many of them as possible that there is help out there. I had never heard of OneinFour until it was shown to me by a friend.”

“I live a life I love now and that is mainly because of the support I received from OneinFour,” he explained. “I find hiking a great way to clear my head, I live with C-PTSD and at times it can start to take over my mind and body. Being on a mountain has always reminded me that I am one very small part of the world in the same way the abuse is only one small part of me and not who I am.”

 

Visualizza questo post su Instagram

 

Un post condiviso da One In Four Ireland (@oneinfourirish)

Discussing the Mountains of Change initiative, he said: “I will be climbing the seven tallest mountains in Ireland in seven days starting on Monday 19 – one mountain a day for seven days.

“On Sunday, May 25, when I will be climbing my last mountain we are asking people all over Ireland to get out and hike or walk their nearest mountain. You can hike as an individual, join a guided hike, or create your own group hike.

“This show of support is so important for survivors who often feel people won’t support them. The number of people in this country who experience childhood sexual abuse is one in four, so we all have survivors in our lives and pretending we don’t or feeling ‘that wouldn’t happen in our community or family’ is adding to the problem.”

To support the Mountains of Change initiative and donate to OneinFour, visit this website.