A man who woke up paralysed is set to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in his latest charity crusade.
Jamie McAnsh hopes to raise £40,000 for his incredible mission.
Ten years ago, Jamie lived a seemingly normal and active life.
But this changed when he became ill with shingles.
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The infection attacked his spinal column when he went to bed on January 6, 2014.
This caused a massive spasm – which ruptured this spine, as reported by Need To Know.
The next morning, Jamie from Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales woke up completely paralysed.
The illness left Jamie feeling hopeless.
But he former climber and avid runner began a remarkable road to recovery.
He gained some mobility through his love of sport – which has seen him gain some mobility.
He now uses a wheelchair and relies on specialist crutches to help him walk.
Jamie previously climbed Mount Everest on crutches.
But he is now determined to take on a bigger challenge and climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania without aid.
The huge mountain is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.
Jamie plans to achieve this without mobility aid.
He hopes the challenge will raise awareness and funds that will be distributed among several small charities.
He hopes to raise £40,000, which will support the team and provide much-needed resources for these deserving causes.
Jamie told GB News: ”So I had shingles, which attacked my spinal column and then I went to bed on 6 January 2014.
”I had a massive spasm, which ruptured my spine and then I woke up on the seventh of January, completely paralysed.”
He added: “Everything changed. I went down that whole journey of mental health and wellbeing.
”I was the guy that wore a mask who told everybody that I was okay. When actually deep down, I was falling apart.
”And then that stress led to a suicide attempt. And that was when my life really changed at that point. It was when I hit rock bottom.
”Once you’re at the bottom, you can’t go any further right? You can only go forward.
Jamie, who is Head of Inclusions at business growth consultancy Champions (UK) plc added: “I wanted to climb Everest since I was seven years old. It’s a pretty epic experience.
”I did that on crutches.
”Now I am focusing on Kilimanjaro.
”So I want to be able to do it without using crutches and completely unaided.”
