ITV 'London Tonight' did a follow-up piece last weekend: www.itv.com/london/return-to-ben-nevis35807/
10 years ago, on 27th April 2000, I was on holiday in Scotland with my best mate Dan. We had climbed Ben Nevis the day before and couldn’t believe our luck when some fresh snow fell and the local ski area opened up... we changed our plans and fitted a half day of snowboarding into our schedule.
Despite the poor visibility, we had a fantastic morning snowboarding in the fresh powder and found a great little jump that we could practice our skills on. On our last run, Dan went down first and waited for me near the bottom. I followed, aiming to finish on a high with an impressive jump. I was probably going a bit too fast and, with tired legs from the activities of the previous few days, I lost control. The front of my board got caught and it threw me hard onto my shoulder. I cart-wheeled head over heels twice and landed with a jolt. I didn’t realise immediately, but I had shattered two vertebrae in my neck and I was paralysed.
Volunteers from Lochaber Mountain Rescue were on the scene quickly. They got me safely down the mountain and into a helicopter which took me to Glasgow Spinal Unit. The next few days passed in a blur – I was on oxygen, fed through a tube in my nose and had weights suspended from my neck to realign my vertebrae. The severity of my situation still hadn’t sunk in, but I do remember the overwhelming support I received from my friends and family. I had surgery to stabilise my spine, and 6 weeks later I was transferred to Salisbury Spinal Unit for a further 9 months of rehabilitation.
It was in Salisbury that I first heard of the Back-Up Trust and enrolled on a multi-activity course in the Lake District. Three months after leaving hospital I was sailing, kayaking, abseiling, land-yachting – doing things I thought I would never be able to do again. It was brilliant! There was another guy on the course with a similar injury to me – we learnt a great deal from each other and pushed each other further with all of the activities. This first experience with Back-Up changed how I thought about my future and made me realise that anything is possible.
I'm raising money for two organisations that have changed my life, Lochaber Mountain Rescue (SC011549) and The Back-Up Trust (1072216 and SC040577). My challenge is to climb back up to the top of Ben Nevis with the help of an adapted wheelchair and a team of family and friends, including Dan who was with me at the start of this journey. I'm planning the ascent of 4406 feet to the highest point in the UK on Sunday 5th September 2010. Climbing Ben Nevis 10 years ago was tough - ascending in a wheelchair, even with a willing team, will be an epic challenge.
Thinking back to the first hours and days after my accident when at age 24 my life was turned upside down, I could never have imagined that I would achieve as much as I have over the past 10 years. At that time, as I was lying in my hospital bed staring at the ceiling, the outlook for the rest of my life was pretty bleak. My subsequent involvement with Back-Up has totally transformed my life.
Thanks for reading my story – please donate whatever you can to support my challenge and these two fantastic charities. If you prefer to send a donation please post it to Sean McCallion, The Back-Up Trust, Jessica House, 191 Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 4LS. Any gift will help these two amazing Charities give others the opportunity they gave me.
