A north-east man who lost his leg one year after a horrific motorcycle crash will climb Mount Everest to thank the paramedics who saved his life.
Lee Chapman was riding his motorbike near Oldmeldrum in April 2016 when the collision occurred.
The 34-year-old was “losing a lot of blood” when the life-saving Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) helicopter arrived at the scene.
Mr Chapman said: “Without the aid and assistance of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance I’m not sure I would be alive today.
“When they found me, I had lost a lot of blood and they were able to get me to hospital within 20 minutes.”
Mr Chapman subsequently began the painstaking rehabilitation process, undergoing rigorous physiotherapy while confined to walking with a stick for the next year.
But he faced a fresh setback in March 2017 when a life-threatening infection set in due to complications with the steel in his leg.
Various attempts were made to save the limb, but doctors ultimately decided the only option was to amputate.
The Pitmedden man has since been on the road to recovery, saying that being in “a life or death situation” made him “want to do something worthwhile with his life”.
And now he is preparing to defy his condition by trekking more than 80 miles to Everest’s base camp on behalf of SCAA next month.
Mr Chapman is hoping to raise around £2,500 – which is the average cost of an air ambulance rescue.
Though it is regarded as one of the toughest treks in the world, Mr Chapman said he was confident about his chances of succeeding.
He added: “I think my biggest challenges will be dealing with the lack of oxygen and the care of my leg.
“Whilst hiking, the prosthetic will rub and cut my leg if I don’t prepare properly and take care of it.”
The operations manager for Keenan Recycling has been walking up and down Bennachie after work every day to practise.
Mr Chapman will undertake the arduous 14-day trek with the help of a Sherpa and a guide who will help carry vital equipment.
SCAA is raising money to bring a new copter to Aberdeen, in addition to the one it operates from Perth.
The new machine is expected to start saving lives from its base at Dyce next month.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance has made a huge impact since 2013, saving lives and preventing suffering.
That is why the P&J campaigned successfully for SCAA’s second helicopter to be based in our region.
The countdown is now on for the aircraft – call sign Helimed 79 – to start flying missions from Aberdeen Airport.
But this is an emergency service that relies entirely on donations.
Each call-out costs about £2,500 and SCAA needs P&J readers to help hit its £6million target and get things off to a successful start.
So please do anything you can to raise those funds and show that We’re Backing Helimed 79.
Ways to donate to SCAA
- Website: www.scaa.org.uk/donate
- Text: Text ‘SCAA’ and the amount to 70085
- Phone: 03001231111
- Cheques: Made payable to ‘SCAA’ or ‘Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance’ and sent to: Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), The Control Tower, Perth Airport, Scone, PH2 6PL
