A Lanarkshire eight-year-old has scaled the's UK highest mountain to raise money for 'the doctors who saved his life'.
The day after Caden McKellar was born, his mum, Jennifer worried that he was 'struggling to feed'. Medics asked the 37-year-old to bring her newborn back to Glasgow's Princess Royal Maternity Hospital where they found the tot had malrotation of the bowel.
Left untreated, the pre-natal abnormality, more commonly known as twisted bowel, can prove fatal. Little Caden was blue-lighted to the then Yorkhill hospital with frantic Jennifer and her husband, Scott, 37, driving behind in their car.
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Surgeons performed emergency surgery; slitting the baby's stomach open to reconfigure the bowel, remove the appendix and stop further blockages. The operation was a success but he remained in hospital for a fortnight after catching an infection.
Fighter Caden has been in perfect health ever since returning to his home in Stepps, North Lanarkshire which he shares with his doting parents as well as brothers, Cole, 11 and three-year-old Jace. Determined to give back, the schoolboy embarked on a challenge to scale Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, for the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity (GCHC).
His tenacity paid off and, alongside police officer mum Jennifer and his aunt, 37-year-old Natalie Thanda, Caden reached the summit on August 13. The mini philanthropist raised £800 for GCHC - smashing his £100 target.
Football-daft Caden told Glasgow Live: "The doctors and nurses in the hospital saved my life and they save lots of children's lives everyday. I wanted to do something for them.
"I thought it would be easy but it was hard at the end, my legs were sore coming back down the mountain."
Off the back of the 'tough' climb which took almost eight hours in total, Jennifer could not be more proud.
She said: "Caden wanted to do something for charity so we thought the GCHC was perfect. He's aware that the staff there saved him when he wasn't well.
"Had we not found out what was wrong as early as we did with Caden - I don't know what would have happened to him. Being in intensive care is scary and intimidating, following the ambulance was so traumatic as well.
"The staff really looked after us, they were so attentive and put us at ease. That's just what you need when your child is sick.
"It was important for us to give back. We can't thank everyone enough who donated.
"Times are tough so for people to give out cash is just amazing."
For more information on GCHC click here.
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