A FATHER who lost his teenage daughter to suicide has successfully reached Everest Base Camp as part of a challenge to raise money for a fund he set up in her name.
This week, Rob Mason – whose daughter, Kezia, took her own life aged 14 in 2022 – and six friends reached the camp, which sits at an altitude of about 17,500 feet.
With the help of oxygen masks and high-altitude medication, the group have been trekking for between six and eleven hours a day in extreme cold through forests and glacial rivers.
Kezia’s Fund offers grants to organisations working to improve mental health for young people in Jersey.
Since its launch, Kezia’s Fund has awarded more than £200,000 to projects developing services, resources and support.
Mr Mason and his group have already surpassed their £5,000 target for their Everest challenge, with the fundraising total currently standing at just over £13,300.
The timing of the trek also coincides with his 50th birthday later this month.
“This trek is more than just a physical challenge for us – it’s a way to honour Kezia’s memory and continue the work of her fund,” Mr Mason said.
Talking to the JEP in February as he began preparations for the physical challenge, Mr Mason said he wanted the trek to “keep the conversation going” about the importance of mental health in young people, and that more needed to be done to tackle what he described as an “epidemic”.
He said: “There is a massive need out there for people who want to help the young people in the current almost epidemic of mental health.”
Describing the effect Kezia’s Fund had had, he added: “The impact has been profound, giving many young people in Jersey access to resources and support they desperately need. But we know there’s still so much more to do to close the gaps in mental-health services.”
To support Mr Mason and his friends, Islanders can donate to the cause via Sports-Giving: sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsor/activity/everest-base-camp-trek-in-aid-ofkezia-s-fund/rob-mason.
