Relieved to lose my legs - now I’m ready to crawl up Snowdon
blessing really. With my legs, from 1992 to 2008, I struggled with them, I was in pain with WIDNES man has them. I couldn’t do anything. I described feeling couldn’t walk or stand. ‘blessed’ to lose both “I went from that to climbing his legs after being in pain for mountains.”
16 years. On Friday, Paul will begin a
Paul Ellis, 56, broke his spine solo crawl up Mount Snowdon, and was paralysed for six using only his hands and knees months after a fall in 1992. to raise
He lived in pain for years, money for a only able stand on his feet for group supporting five minutes at a time. child
His legs were fused at the amputees. ankles, which he described as He said the ‘horrendous’. challenge is
The dad of two said: “I ‘daunting’, but couldn’t walk properly. I he’s raring to couldn’t stand up properly. To go. me, it wasn’t really legs. It was Paul said: just a hindrance.” “I’m hoping
In 2008, a doctor told Paul to get up and he’d be better off without his down in two legs. Despite no guarantee he’d days. I’ll be be free from pain, the Widnes sleeping on man took the leap and decided the mountain. to have the operation. I’ll just have to
With the help of advancing keep crawling, technology and prosthetic legs, crawling, Paul is now ‘more mobile than crawling.” [he’s] ever been’. He’s been
He took up wheelchair rugby up Mount and basketball after the operation Snowdon before, walking with that gave him a ‘better prosthetic legs up the highest quality of life’ with his wife and mountain in Wales 10 years two teenage children. ago. He’s also walked the Yorkshire
Paul said: “For me, it was a Three Peaks.
AEarlier this month, Paul and a group of 10 other amputees climbed Ben Nevis, the highest Scottish mountain, also to raise money for the group called Amp Camp Kids.
Walking is painful as the prosthetics put pressure on the ‘stumps’, meaning they have to rest and take off their legs on the way.
Founder of the group, Ben Lovell, said: “Ben Nevis was hard. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
“But it’s about getting your head down – it’s not physical, it’s a mental battle so your body wants to stop but as long as your mind carries on you’ll be all right.”
Paul is taking it one step further by crawling up Snowdon in the hope of raising enough money to send six children and their families to a Tenerife villa where they will meet other people with similar amputation experiences in February 2022.
The group has raised thousands of pounds so far, but there is still further to go before all the kids’ trips are paid for.
Paul said meeting ‘people who’ve got missing limbs and who are on the same boat’ is important ‘so you don’t feel alone’.
He spoke about the first time he met other amputees.
The 56-year-old said: “It was nice to see them walking about. It’s inspiring to see people walking about.”
Paul gets that same feeling now when he’s walking up mountains.
He added: “It helps spur you on when you’re out and about with them.
“Sometimes you’re struggling and you look at them and they’re doing amazing, you think, ‘Well, I need to keep going’.”