An amputee who hopes to “crutch myself all the way” to the summit of Snowdon is to don a t-shirt with the words “no leg, no excuse” to show that you can achieve success in the face of adversity.
Matt Edwards plans to climb Mount Snowdon in North Wales with his friend Jack Sharpe on Saturday, with the added challenge of doing the hike on crutches and as an amputee, following the loss of his left leg below the knee five years ago.
“I was in a traffic collision when I was travelling to work on my motorbike,” the 24-year-old from Portsmouth told the PA news agency.
“I was in an induced coma and I woke up on Christmas Eve without a limb and I was only 19 years old.”
He added that due to a lack of family support at the time and finding it “physically and mentally hard” to process what had happened, he turned to alcohol and drugs and spent time in rehab for three weeks from February to March 2019.
“At one point, I was drinking every day for about six months and became addicted to cocaine and that’s when I got sectioned in mid-February 2019 for drug-induced psychosis.
“Even before that, I was homeless and was just being a scrounger.”
The initial shock and difficulty coming to terms with what happened developed into Mr Edwards turning his life around and a new-found lust for fitness and helping others.
“I’ve created a charity called Boxing for the Brain before the pandemic and I help people who have low self-esteem, no confidence,” he said.
“When I got out of rehab they told me I needed a hobby to keep my mind away from drugs and alcohol and when I found boxing and punched the bag for the first time, it was an instant stress reliever.
“I knew instantly that I could help a lot of people through this and have helped a lot of people get clean, sober and even housed and even just act as a shoulder to cry on.
“I believe God gave me the accident to get me to change my life around.”
As the impromptu challenge – which Mr Edwards has always wanted to do and was inspired by his fitness journey – edges ever closer, he said he would love to complete the hike in under six hours.
“I’m taking knee pads, so if it does get extra slippery at the top, I will be crawling on my knees for the rest of the journey,” he added.
Fundraising for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS) as part of the challenge is to serve as the motivation for the avid boxer, with a family member having a close connection to stillbirth.
“Last year, my brother-in-law Callum went through a stillbirth and it broke him dramatically – it really, really affected him,” he said.
“That’s why I chose SANDS to raise money for – it is in remembrance of Vienna Bowden, his baby girl.
“I also wanted the challenge to have a charity aspect because when you get half way and you feel like giving up – your arms are dead and your ankles are hurting, you’re soaking wet and slipping and sliding – that gives you the push to the top.
“I have an abscess on my leg at the moment so cannot use my prosthetic leg, so I will crutch myself all the way to the summit.”
He added that seeing the outpouring of support through donations, which have exceeded £300, and the messages have also given him a boost to complete the hike.
“It’s nice to know that people out there are following my journey,” he said.
Despite admitting “the thing is, I haven’t actually trained for this”, he hopes others will be encouraged to believe in their capabilities more.
“I just hope people look at me and think, if he can do it, I can do it and that is why I will be wearing a t-shirt with the words ‘no leg, no excuse’ on it,” he said.
“I also want to show that I don’t have a disability, I have a different ability.”
Mr Edwards fundraising page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/amputee-attempts-to-climb-mount-snowdon
More information about SANDS can be accessed here: https://www.sands.org.uk/
