Kinnitty dad prepares for solo hyrox in aid of autism awareness group
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Kinnitty native John Mullins is preparing for a solo hyrox challenge in order to raise funds for Autism Awareness Roscrea.
The challenge is set to take place on February 22, 2025, and will be completed in Adrenaline gym in Roscrea.
It involves the completion of eight different exercises such a rowing, skiing, and similar, while running 1km between each exercise.
As of December 20, a GoFundMe page for the challenge has raised €3,190 of the €5,000 goal from some 54 donations.
The strenuous fundraiser was inspired by John's son, 6-year-old Alfie Mullins, who was diagnosed with autism earlier this year.
"My son was diagnosed with autism earlier this year. You always here that people can't access services, but I actually experienced it first hand.
"Alfie has gotten no service from the HSE whatsoever. When we first applied to get an appointment, they told us it would be six weeks. We didn't receive any update, and when we enquired about the wait, they sent us out forms to file a complaint to the HSE - but there was also a waitlist for dealing with complaints," he said.
Twelve months on, Alfie has still not received an appointment for the HSE to even get diagnosed.
"Luckily, we were in a position that we could afford to get services for Alfie ourselves. It cost around €2,000, and a lot of families just can't afford that."
John said that finding services for children with autism is a challenge, and parents are left to find education and autism-friendly environments by themselves.
When the family found Autism Awareness Roscrea, it was a saving grace for them.
"Alfie has come on leaps and bounds since joining the group. He gets to socialise with other kids like him in an environment that is completely geared towards children with autism."
The group operates a hub which holds classes for children up to the ages of 18, and allows children with autism to socialise in a safe space.
"All the women that work in there are volunteers. The hub is set up with dimmed lighting, and they have loads of sensory toys," John said.
"Alfie goes into the Little Explorer programme once a week for an hour - I can just leave him at the door, and I actually have to bribe him to come out again - which is definitely not his usual temperament."
Speaking about the outpouring of support for the fundraiser, John said he wasn't expecting it to take off so strongly.
"The challenge isn't until February, but we just decided to set up the fundraiser before Christmas, and we could give it a push in January.
"We're just blown away by the way that it took off, and we can't thank our friends and our family enough for supporting us."
To donate, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/johns-hyrox-simulation-for-autism-awareness-hub-roscrea