For those who don't know me my name is Karl and I'm a paramedic with the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) for South Central Ambulance Service. The HART team are a group of paramedics who are trained to go into the 'hot zone' of incidents.

Traditionally, paramedics have always had to wait for other services such as a fire and rescue service to bring patients from the heart of an incident to the edge of the inner cordon. By working at the centre of an event, the ambulance service could save more lives during the early stages of a major incident. Subsequent experience from the terrorist bombings in London on 7th July 2005 proved this to be correct.

UK ambulance service HART teams now work alongside the other emergency services at the centre of serious accidents of threats to public health.

So, Im going to climb pen-y-fan mountain in Wales following the horseshoe route which is a 16km walk scaling an elevation of 740m. I will be doing this in full HART kit carrying a kit bag that would simulate the bags we carry into an incident.

Why am I doing this....

My niece Hatty was born at 38 + 6 after quite a traumatic arrival! She was very blue when born and whilst everything seemed ok alarm bells started ring when she wouldn't feed despite the midwife's best efforts, it became apparent she had no suck reflex, she then started to seizure. She was rushed to NICU where she stayed for 3 weeks. She had very low muscle tone among other problems and the doctors described certain features that would flag up a genetic condition. Initially the first tests came back clear however on the more in depth testing it showed a deletion in the critical region of her 15th Chromosome  known as Prader Willi Syndrome.

Hatty faces many challenges such as 

• Hyperphalgia (Insatiable appetite) 
• Hypertonia (Low muscle tone resulting in pain and fatigue) 
• Autism
• Fatigue

Foundation for Prader Willi Research UK (FPWR UK) works closely with our sister organisation the Foundation for Prader Willi Research (FPWR) which was founded in 2003 by a small group of parents in the United States. Our UK charity was formed by Catherine Shaw – a parent of a child with PWS – in 2010 to add money, strength and contribute towards the wider charitable goals.

Through a professionally managed grant process, FPWR UK selects research projects based on the collaborative input of researchers and parents, choosing projects that are both scientifically promising and highly relevant for individuals with PWS and their families

Our aim is to eliminate the challenges of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) through the advancement of research and therapeutic development.

High-quality research will lead to more effective treatments and an eventual cure. By working together, we intend to free our loved ones from the burdens of PWS, allowing them to lead full and independent lives.

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