NHS worker who was told he might never walk again beats Mount Kilimanjaro

Alex Howes, 49, who works for Clinical Research West Midlands (CRN WM), hosted by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, decided to raise money after his eldest brother Stuart died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53.

Initially aiming to raise £1,500 for the British Heart Foundation, Alex has now raised almost three times that amount, reaching £4,200 thanks to his gruelling charity trek.

Alex, who has worked for the trust since 2014 and lives in Stoke-on-Trent, described the trek, which took three days and one night, as an “unforgettable experience.”

"I’d been training by doing a lot of walking for the previous 12 months, but that was on smooth, flat surfaces and the actual climb was unbelievably difficult," said Alex.

"We only had to walk at night once – to the summit from one of the huts called Kibo which is 4,720 metres high.

"I’d always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro but losing Stuart kind of propelled me to do it and gave me something to aim for. It means something positive has come out of the saddest of times."

There were also factors such as sleeping conditions, altitude sickness and tiredness, all of which proved challenging.

"I’m normally a really friendly, sociable guy but I became short-tempered and ended up falling out with everyone – I think it must have been the altitude but I have no recollection of it," recalled Alex.

Alex’s achievements are even more remarkable given his parents were told there was a high likelihood he might never walk again after he was partly paralysed at the age of 19, following an accident.

A fall on his return home after a night out saw Alex land on the left-hand side of his head, resulting in him being paralysed down the right-hand side of his body.

In intensive care for the best part of two months and in a pre-induced coma for about three weeks, Alex couldn’t speak, write or walk and remained in hospital for more than three months, also receiving speech therapy and occupational health.

But he made a full recovery and the Manchester United season ticket holder has recently started playing walking football.

Alex said: "It’s just incredible to think we have raised more than £4,200 in Stuart’s name and for a charity that is so close to all our hearts."

Stuart died on September 6 last year and Alex is keen to pay tribute to everyone who donated to his challenge.

He said: "I cannot thank them enough. Stuart was so well loved and is very much missed by everyone who knew him.

"I am also really indebted to the CRN WM and finance at RWT as both were really generous with my fundraising."

The money raised from Alex’s Kilimanjaro walk will help the BHF continue to fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

Donations to Alex’s fundraising page can still be made at gofundme.com/f/stuart-kilimanjaro.