Amputee-Adventures - Helen Stidwill

Kilimanjaro Trek
in aid of the Limbless Association

September
2010

Helen Stidwill

When Mark came home one day in 2009 and told me he’d been offered a chance to join a charity trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro, I knew that I had to be there when he reached the top. After nearly ten years together I have seen that he always strives to live life to the full despite his disability, however the limitations of his old prosthetic leg meant that not everything was possible. The opportunity to have a new type of prosthetic attachment changed everything; it has been a delight to watch Mark learn to SCUBA dive, ride a bike and walk for many miles without difficulty, to name a few examples.
		Unfortunately, just as Mark was finding his ‘new’ feet, I had a fall at work which led to a rare neurological disorder called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). My right foot is swollen, hypersensitive to touch and fixed in a position angled to the floor. I need crutches to move around at all times. I’ve been undergoing treatment for over a year but this has not been successful to date so I remain in constant pain and with the other troublesome symptoms.
After difficult times in the first few months I rallied myself, and with support from Mark and my family I began to venture outside the house again. In time my upper-body strength increased and I found I could crutch longer distances. I also discovered that I could use the rhythm of the crutches as I moved along to distract my thoughts away from pain. I am determined to one day overcome this condition, and in the meantime I hope the Kilimanjaro climb will not only help the Limbless Association (a cause which is obviously close to my heart) to continue it’s wonderful work with the limb-loss community, but also to raise the profile of the little-known condition CRPS and to inspire anyone living with chronic pain to challenge themselves.
Please support my efforts and donate via mine and my partner's JustGiving page
Highlights of mine and Mark's Kilimanjaro preparation three months prior to the trek.
My stepmother, Sandie Stidwill, has generously offered to run the Abingdon marathon in October this year and donate the sponsorship raised to our fundraising for the Kilimanjaro trek. Please click here for further information.