Boy, 7, told he’d never walk climbs Britain’s tallest mountain
A 7year-old boy with cerebral palsy has defeated the odds by climbing to the top of Britain’s highest peak and raising thousands for charity
[Aug. 31, 2020: Elisa Menendez]
Caeden Thomson, from Corby, Northamptonshire, was born 12 weeks premature and his parents were told he would never be able to walk, sit or talk. Mum Lisa Thomson said Caeden’s ‘life began with huge struggle, stress and a feeling of the unknown’.
But after undergoing intense treatments such as physiotherapy and with the help of supportive techniques like splints, she said her son is now a ‘very happy boy’ and ‘tries his very best not to let his disability stop him’.
The young boy said he felt ‘so lucky’ for all the support he has received, that he wanted to give something back to his local NHS trust and disability equality charity, Scope. He decided he would raise £8,000 by climbing Ben Nevis, in the Highlands.
After completing the 4,411ft ascent to the top of the mountain on Saturday, Caeden has surpassed his goal by raising more than £13,000 on a Just Giving page. Following the trek, Caeden said: ‘My body hurts a lot but I’m OK. It was really, really hard.
‘I felt sick and exhausted at the top, and I felt exhausted but happy at the bottom!’
The group set off on the adventure at 9am, reached the top at 5.30pm and returned five hours later.
Following the 13-hour hike, ‘super proud’ mum Lisa called her son an ‘absolute legend’, adding that he deserves a medal for his efforts.
She said: ‘It was such a massive challenge and much, much harder than any of us expected.
‘There were many hard times along the way – from three-quarters of the way up the pathway is just massive boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn’t think he would make it down.
‘There were danger areas where carrying was very difficult, so Caeden did have to walk down a lot of it too.
‘The temperature dropped hugely and many climbers said they were turning back. But we made it!’
Lisa said everyone was so exhausted after the hike that they needed a long rest, but planned to celebrate over the Bank Holiday.
She added: ‘We all love Caeden so much and can’t believe his passion for getting to the top.’
This Brighter Side of News post courtesy of Metro at metro.co.uk.
Like these kind of stories? Get The Brighter Side of News' newsletter.
