A SPINAL stroke survivor has climbed to Everest Base Camp — three years after being told he might never walk again.
Footie physiotherapist Cameron Ross, of Edinburgh, was hospitalised in January 2022, and left without use of his legs, bladder and bowels and stomach.
Cameron has now made it to Everest’s base camp in arctic conditions[/caption]
He was eventually diagnosed that he’d suffered a spinal stroke – which affects just one in 13 million people.
The determined lad underwent gruelling physiotherapy and recovery program – and within six months he’d bagged a munro, then last year smashed his other goal of running the city’s half marathon .
And he has now made it to Everest’s base camp in arctic conditions, raising thousands for charity.
Cameron – who was a sports scientist for teams including Raith Rovers and Hearts before switching to physio, a year after his injury, to help others – is now focusing on his career and has recently been snapped up by English Football League One highflyers Birmingham City FC.
He said: “I was always a hillwalker. I did my Munros and stuff.
“So I said, I want to do that again. That was my goal, to climb up one. And that was kind of a long term goal. “I was told I wouldn’t walk again, so I’d have taken that.
“I thought maybe being real I can manage one within a few years, but I smashed that in six months.
“So me being me, I was like, ‘What can I do that’s difficult?’
“I continued to think, ‘why should I be limited by this injury?’ So I pushed myself all the time. So I just thought, Everest.”
Setting off in January this year, the trek wasn’t to be without incident – in addition to health concerns around altitude.
He said: “It was -30 degrees in the winter and there was an earthquake.
“Half six in the morning I was walking up the base camp, I was actually above base camp. I was climbing to another summit, an extra part, and all of a sudden there was an avalanche.”
That earthquake would cause devastation in nearby Tibet,, killing and injuring hundreds, but thankfully, Cameron was far enough removed from the worst of it.
He added: “The trek to Everest Base Camp was something I’ll never forget. Dealing with the altitude was far more difficult than I ever thought it would be.
“I’d like to say I enjoyed it but the truth is, my body was so tired when I reach the summit, I didn’t have much left to take it all in. But I’m so happy to have done it though – it still feels a bit surreal that I managed to do that so soon after my injury.”
The trek saw him raise more than £2,500 for Spinal Injuries Scotland – a charity that supports people through a spinal cord injury and one particularly close to his heart.
Reflecting on his experience, he added: “There’s no real prognosis for why it happened. They can’t tell me why, which was a little unsettling. “I think it’s one in 13 million people. That’s the likelihood of spinal strokes.
“I think it’s just bad luck, really.”
