Meet Team EVEREST: Joe Winch

Joe is married to Amy, and they live with their three children on the south coast. Joe was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 2002, and was diagnosed with acute Complex PTSD in 2017 – a consequence of the many traumas he has experienced during his service.

Currently, Joe is under the care of the Royal Navy’s Recovery Centre Hasler, and together with the incredible support of his wife and children he has developed a thorough understanding of his symptoms and diagnosis. In turn, this has allowed Joe to begin taking back control of his life and to start recovering from his PTSD.

Although Joe’s recovery has been slow, it was helped enormously by his participation in the 65 Degrees North expedition to Denali, the highest peak in North America, in June 2018. Joe’s confidence, self-esteem, and enthusiasm for life returned in abundance during the expedition, and he returned home happier, more optimistic, and even more determined to get better.

Joe hopes to show that with determination and focus it is possible to recover from PTSD, and that life can once again be exciting, fulfilling, and worthwhile:

"The challenge has given me something incredible to focus on, to read about, to train towards, and to talk about. It has given me something far more than the day-to-day challenges of my recovery and symptoms to consider, and it has injected a new energy and excitement into a normally exhausting routine.

The journey will afford me much needed respite from my symptoms - as big mountains, and mountain ranges, are an incredibly therapeutic and calming place for me. Such environments afford me the intellectual and creative space to make better sense of my situation and future - a space which is largely inaccessible to me in normal life."

The team are undertaking this extreme challenge to raise funds for The Royal Marines Charity

If you would like to make a donation please visit our JustGiving Page and leave a message for the team! > https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/65dn

#65DNTeamEverest #BeyondInjury #MentalHealthMatters