A Wilmslow firefighter performed twenty-two push ups every day for twenty-two days as part of a nation wide campaign to raise awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and veteran suicide prevention.
On Monday 3rd October Simon McDonald, a member of Wilmslow Delta Watch, donned his full fire kit to perform twenty-two push ups in the fire station, successfully completing his twenty-two day challenge.
The #22PushUpChallenge challenge started in the United States to raise awareness of veterans' mental health. The challenge quickly gathered a large following online prompting people to complete twenty-two push ups before donating to veteran mental health charities and, of course, posting their achievements online.
Simon said: "I had just returned from Jubilee House, a care and respite centre owned by the Fire Fighters Charity, where I met numerous people suffering from PTSD and was able to see first hand the pain and suffering this condition causes. It is a sad statistic that every day twenty two veterans suffering with PTSD take their lives.
"I saw the push up challenge in the media and thought it was a great way of raising awareness of this terrible condition as it involves doing twenty-two press ups for twenty-two days and nominating a new person every day to take up the challenge. I wanted to complete the 22nd day on station in full fire kit as I thought it would be a fantastic way of raising awareness."
Firefighters are also exposed to events that include trauma, death and loss, often on a regular basis. Many firefighters suffer from PTSD every year, and take respite in Jubilee House or other Fire Fighters Charity centres, giving the push up challenge an added poignancy for firefighters.
Simon added: "Taking part in the 22PushUpChallenge is a great way to raise awareness of veterans' mental health and PTSD, and at the same time make a donation to charity. You don't have to be a gym buff either as the exercise can be done on your knees or you can even perform air push ups. The most important thing is raising awareness."
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