A Paisley man had to be rushed across an African mountain range to hospital with pneumonia while hooked up to oxygen during a charity trek.
Stevie Kidd conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania for the second time to raise cash for charity.
But he had to be was stretchered across the mountains by a group of locals for 90 minutes before being driven to the nearest hospital.
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Despite the health scare, Stevie says he’ll return to the 20,000ft mountain next year and is already gearing up for a volcano marathon challenge in Chile in just five months’ time.
He said: “Five Tanzania boys put me on a stretcher and tank of oxygen, and then raced right across the mountain for an hour-and-a-half to get me to a camp.
“It was there that a 4x4 car picked me up. My guide from the mountain stayed with me the whole time as I was taken to hospital.
“I was in hospital for a few hours getting X-rays, bloods taken, and the doctor said, ‘There’s no way you could have been up Kilimanjaro’.”
The doctor pointed to the scan where it showed a dark grey patch on his lungs, and diagnosed pneumonia. Medics were initially concerned after the scan on the 51-year-old’s lungs, but he was released later that day.
On the mountain, it was a case of mind over matter for Stevie and he was so focused and determined to complete the challenge that he didn’t properly realise his physical health had deteriorated.
The Glenburn dad is no stranger to Mount Kilimanjaro, having already taken on the Tanzanian peak in 2016 for the charity Finding Your Feet.
Stevie, who runs business-coaching company Stevie Kidd Pathways, was also joined by nine people he works with – three Americans, three Scots, and three English trekkers.
It took the group five days to complete and, while everyone experienced symptoms of altitude sickness as expected, they all completed it successfully.
Stevie is now working on getting back to full fitness after landing back in Paisley on Tuesday.
He raised around £3,000 via his online JustGiving page for the Paisley-based charity Finding Your Feet, which supports families affected by amputation or limb absence.
He was full of praise for the group of clients who completed the challenge with him, saying: “They’ve been on a two-year journey building up to this, going through everything from assessments and coaching to better understanding their business, emotions and life.
“This trip took these people to the roof of Africa. But it wasn’t just about the mountain, it was about psychology and transforming their mindset.
“The good thing was, they were all raising funds for their charities as well.”
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