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Amputees reach for the sky and settle for the top of the World

On Wednesday 2 October a team of 21 people set off to climb Kilimanjaro - the highest free-standing mountain in the World. 

Some of the amputee individuals at Kilimanjaro's Simba Camp

This inspiring team included eight amputees, all with varied limb differences. Below the knee amputee  - Tracy Kitto, to a full hip disarticulation - Damian Harper. Simon Grater, who is an amputee and Type 1 Diabetic and Mick Kirby, an upper limb stroke survivor, were also part of the team.

The uniqueness of this Kilimanjaro challenge was designed to give each of the amputees the optimal chance of summiting the mountain. The strong team of 21 people included two doctors, two prosthetists, eight amputees and friends and partners. And an additional support crew of 75 local people. The team undertook an extended trek over eight days allowing for the differing needs of the eight person Ampu-Team.

Four of the eight amputees summited Kilimanjaro. Anne Garland and Kiera Roche both reached Gilman’s Point. At 62 Anne is the oldest female above the knee amputee to summit. Chris Linnitt and Rebecca Legon continued on for another 3-4 hours and reached the third Uruhu Summit.

Rebecca was the first amputee to complete the challenge in a speedy time of under 12 hours. Chris battled through immense discomfort as his prosthetic leg had broken. All of the amputees challenged themselves beyond their comfort zones. 

This was an incredibly tough challenge. Nothing can prepare you for the long days, altitude and tiredness of sleeping in a tent in the wilderness for eight days. The prosthetic support and pre-event preparation were incredible. Chris Parsons and Tim Howarth's hard work and preparation was cruucial to the success of the above the knee apmutees. Including the design of a battery-operated portable charger.

Kilimanjaro team walkingThe team were met at the finish line by Tanzanian government officials, who had heard about this fantastic group of individuals all with different impairments. A welcome party was organised by the government officials, which was documented and shown on local TV stations.

Kiera Roche, LimbPower’s CEO said:

"This was the most challenging thing I have undertaken, it required both physical and mental toughness to get through each day and to reach the summit on summit night, a huge feat for a team of amputees.
"This challenge was not just about pushing our personal limits, but also about leading the way to show other people with limb loss and limb difference that anything is possible with the right support and equipment."

The team have raised an incredible £30,000 for two limb loss charities, LimbPower and the Amputation Foundation. Both organisations work to improve the lives of people living with limb loss and limb difference.

Damian Harper, Amputation Foundation Trustee said:

"I'm so incredibly proud of us all. I didn't reach the top, but I reached my Kilimanjaro. My personal goal was to be the first hip disarticulation amputee to summit with a prosthetic leg. Unfortunately my socket failed and I had to stop on safety grounds. My main aim for our group was to show other amputees that life can continue post amputation, that it can be a new beginning. We are all everyday amputees using standard prosthetics, not athletes, just superheroes. It was an honour to be part of this team."