Luke Mortimer was seven when doctors told him he was living with a life-threatening illness, but not only is he still standing, he’s also achieved a huge accomplishment for a good cause.
The prognosis was not good, meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia are deadly viruses, the surgery involved was intense.
The lad had to undergo 23 operations during a 10-week stay in hospital where all four of his limbs had to be amputated.
In 2019 the family moved to Skipton into a bungalow built with the help of a team of volunteers which was suitable to house Luke.
Near the home was a 656ft Embsay Crag, which Luke could see from the garden, it gave him a brainwave!
He arranged a charity climb setting a target of £500, which he smashed with no trouble at all, in fact the fundraiser last Saturday he raised over £12,000 for LimbPower and BBC Children in Need.
He told Metro Online: ‘It was tough, but I felt on top of the world. ‘I’m really happy, and as well as that, I’m also pretty shocked.
‘I thought we’d just get to £500, next minute we’re at over £11,000.
‘At the top, I told everybody “I want you to shout we’ve cracked the crag” and we all shouted it.
‘It was tiring and tough, but when I got to the top I was very proud of myself. Everybody was really kind for coming out to support me.’
Luke Mortimer in hospital with all four limbs bandaged up
The quad amputee hero was joined by 40 backpackers from across the UK who kept him company on the adventurous climb.
His dad Adam, 49, said: ‘We had some people who had seen the challenge on the news and had come from Sheffield and Chesterfield.
‘We did it in a little over two hours, which was pretty good going. It was a massive achievement to get up. Luke was super proud. It was brilliant.
‘For Luke, this is a huge thing. It’s above a normal walk for even me, so for Luke, it’s quite a tough challenge. It is kind of his “Everest”.
‘If you just did it purely on his stride, it’s half of anybody else’s. So it’s almost like if I’m walking a mile, he’s walking two.
‘It was great to get over £10,000. A big thank you to all the people who came out, who supported us and donated to us. It really meant a lot.’
[ You can make a donation to Luke Mortimer’s charity climb via his JustGiving page ]
