A former Lanarkshire soldier told he would never walk again, has climbed a mountain to raise money for the charity that helped him cope with his injuries.
Andy McIntosh scaled alll 1512ft of Ben A’an in just under two hours, raising £1600 for armed forces charity, SSAFA .
The 49-year old veteran told Lanarkshire Live : “I think this has to be one of the single most challenging things I’ve ever done.
"If someone had said to me 12 months ago that I’d be able to do this, I’d have laughed and said they were mad.
“I set myself a target of four hours to the summit and I managed to do it in 1 hour and 44 minutes. So far we’ve raised £1600.”
A decade ago, Andy was told he would never walk again after sustaining life-changing injuries during his service.
After his time with the Cheshire Regiment, he thought he had left the Army fully fit.
However, after significant medical investigation, it was found he had over a hundred blood clots.
Andy told us: “The main vein that carries the blood from my leg back to my heart had disintegrated and this was put down to the trauma of the incident.
“I was told back in 2011 I would never be able to work again and for the next 10 years, I was living in chronic, constant pain, and was pumped full of morphine and other painkillers.
“That in turn has damaged my kidneys and one of my lungs is permanently collapsed due to this medication.”
It was SSAFA that supported Andy on his road to recovery and he wanted to give back to them after the incredible support he received.
Andy worked with FTPT Gym in Strathaven as he trained for the climb.
The money he raised will help SSAFA provide support to veterans, serving personnel and their families.
Originally from Manchester, Andy has served in Bosnia and undertook several tours of Northern Ireland during his service. He is now the chairman of SSAFA Lanarkshire.
Andy added: “I felt alive for the first time in years and that’s all down to Alan and Lucy Clark of FTPT Gym in Strathaven.
"They took a chance on me when I was told I couldn’t do any fitness or walk any long distances anymore due to health issues.
Andy’s Just Giving page is still open, and donations can be made here.
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