It has been almost a month since Trevor Stuart reached the summit of Mount Everest and he arrived home in Lethbridge to an excited crowd welcoming him home Saturday.
“It blew me away,” Stuart said.
Throughout the trek, Stuart raised thousands of dollars, with all of the proceeds going to the Lethbridge YWCA, and its emergency shelter.
“I’m hoping that women and children who hear about my story can have the hope, that there is help for them,” Stuart said.
Stuart has experience domestic abuse first hand, and it is his childhood pain that has made him an advocate in the fight against domestic violence.
“Trevor understands what domestic violence is all about,” Kelly Mettler, a YWCA employee, said. “He really has a heart, an interest, and a willingness to make a change.”
Climbing Everest is no small feat. It is emotionally, physically and psychologically challenging, but Stuart remarked that it was nothing compared to the hardship he faced growing up.
“I thought, if I survived my childhood, I can survive another hour on this mountain,” Stuart said.
Stuart has crossed ‘climbing Everest’ off his bucket list, and he will continue to raise awareness for the YWCA and its efforts against domestic abuse, so that other families can find support.
“Had I known that the YWCA existed, I maybe could have escaped with my mother,” Stuart said.
As for Stuart’s mom Carol, she is very happy to have her son home after almost three months apart.
“I followed him all the way, and my heart went with him,” Carol Stuart said, “I am very very proud of him.”
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