An Aberdeenshire woman who broke her back whilst horse riding has successfully scaled the highest mountain in Africa to mark eight years since the horrific accident.
Gillian Fowler, founder of BackStrong Adventures, took on Mount Kilimanjaro last month alongside the surgeon and physiotherapist who helped her on the road to recovery to celebrate how far she has come.
Gillian had always been a lover of the outdoors, enjoying skiing, golf and hill walking, but the accident in 2008 changed her life. Gillian was forced to undergo numerous surgeries, regular spinal injections and years of rehabilitation, but the turning point came in 2014 when there was a small yet important change in her spinal movement following another major surgery.
It was following this that Gillian came up with the idea to climb Kilimanjaro alongside her surgeon Niall Craig and physiotherapist Emma Paterson, and they were also joined by Marie-Ann McLeod and Kay Morgan – all from Aberdeen.
Gillian said: “The climb was just absolutely incredible and I have built incredible bonds with those who took on the challenge with me.”
The team have so far raised £9,200 which will be split between two spinal charities BackCare and BackStrong Trust, the latter being setup by Gillian.
Gillian explained that whilst the climb was obviously incredibly challenging due to managing spinal pain, the altitude as well as temperatures varying from +30c to -15c at the top, for her it was all worth it when she finally reached the summit along with the entirety of her team and nine others who formed part of the special group.
She said: “I was overcome by emotion on reaching the summit. The day before was the anniversary of my accident and that’s what we were there for – to mark a fresh start moving on from my accident and remembering how far I have come from suffering with paralysis to climbing the highest free-standing peak in the world. But also being able to share that experience with my surgeon and physio was just tremendous.”
Gillian hopes her journey will give others who are recovering from a back injury or any other life-changing ailment hope and confidence to overcome their current difficulties.
She said: “My main goal is to give people belief in that whatever they are going through; do not give up when something knocks you off your keel or takes away your confidence. It’s important to keep that hope burning inside you and although it may be a long process and it has been many years for myself, have belief and confidence in the people around you and keep setting goals because it’s amazing what you can achieve no matter what’s happened.
“Without the accident I know I would have still been hill walking, but never would I have been living the life I do now which is very much pushing my body and my back to its limits to see what I can achieve and dedicating my time to helping and inspiring others.”
Surgeon, Niall Craig, said: “Gillian is truly remarkable and inspiring as she has fractured her spine and had several major spinal operations. She battled on through the pain and her determination and grit inspired all five of us from Aberdeen to reach the 5895m (19341ft) summit. The experience was unforgettable. Thank you for inspiring us to achieve our goal, Gillian. A huge thanks also to all of our sponsors. We set out to raised £1,500 for charity and the total to date has far exceeded our expectations.”
To donate to the team’s Kilimanjaro fundraiser, please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/kili2016