A Paisley woman has trekked up Ben Nevis just six months after suffering a stroke.
Laura Collingwood tackled the UK’s highest mountain with her group of friends to raise almost £1,800 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS).
Marking the six-month anniversary of a life-changing health event is probably not high on most people’s to-do lists. However, most people aren’t brave Buddie Laura.
She was focused on doing something notable as part of her ongoing recovery after her stroke at the age of just 34 in June last year. Having set herself a target of raising £1,000 for CHSS, Laura’s smashed past that to gift the charity £1,790 with donations still coming in.
“I’m very stubborn,” she said. “I was determined to do something to prove a point – even if that point was only to myself. I’ve climbed Ben Nevis before but in summer.
“It seemed like the kind of tough challenge I should go for. I’m still recovering, and I’m not where I want to be, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I know recovery will be ongoing for a long time but I am still here and I can still achieve things.
“CHSS seemed like the ideal charity for me to support when I asked some friends to help me climb Ben Nevis. I initially thought I’d set a target of £500 but then went for £1,000 and we’ve gone way past that.
“I can’t thank everyone who has supported me enough. It’s a tough time of year to do fundraising but I have been blown away by how generous everyone is.”
Laura, who works as a dog handler with the Ministry of Defence, began to feel unwell late one evening last summer. At first she put her symptoms down to flu but, when her arms and leg then began to feel numb, she realised she was actually having a stroke.
She called the emergency services herself then made sure her two German Shepherds were safely locked away before paramedics arrived. By then, she was stuck on the stairs and unable to move.
Laura was taken to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital where she underwent a scan that revealed the stroke had been caused by an artery dissection in her neck. She underwent thrombolysis – a procedure that dissolves blood clots – then spent a week in hospital.
Laura is on a phased return to work and carrying out ‘kennel duties’ rather than operational ones but has her sights set on being back to normal sooner rather than later.
Of the Ben Nevis climb on a bitterly cold December day, Laura said: “It was brutal! I’ve climbed in summer and it took about six-and-a-half hours. This took 12 hours. We went up in the dark and came back in the dark!
“We were very well prepared. We had all the right equipment and emergency shelters just in case. The toughest part of the climb and descent was battling the fatigue that stroke has left me with. My muscles ached and my right side is still numb really.
“I’ve always had a very active lifestyle. I don’t do sitting around the house and I look the same after the stroke – so it’s hard for people to understand that I can’t do what I used to do.
“That’s one of my main motivations for doing the fundraising – raise money but also raise awareness of stroke and what it does to someone, especially someone young like me.”
Louise MacLeod is the community, events and corporate fundraiser at CHSS. She said: “We are immensely thankful for Laura’s incredible gesture taking on this challenge.
“To have a stroke only a few months ago and take on Ben Nevis is a testament to Laura’s strength, bravery and determination in the face of adversity.
“Laura took on a hard challenge for a worthwhile cause and it shows people are always up for going the extra mile for CHSS.
“The money raised from this fundraiser goes towards helping us to support the one in five people across the country who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and long covid to live their lives to the full.”
You can help boost Laura’s fundraising total by donating here.
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