An Ayrshire amputee is hitting new heights as a mountaineer after years of hiding her disability.
Debbie McQuat, who was born with a missing leg and underdeveloped arm, has scaled nine Munros since taking up her new found passion last year.
The 49-year-old mum from Stevenston, was inspired by Ben Lovell, an Englishman who set up an 'Ampcamp' fitness retreat for amputees after losing his right leg as a result of a blood clot in 2017.
And in a whirlwind 12 months she's gone from someone who never saw sport as an option to climbing Ben Nevis — the UK's highest peak at 4,413ft.
Debbie, a former pupil of Kilwinning Academy, said: “It’s like I’m in a midlife crisis, but instead of getting a car, I’m climbing mountains and working out.
“Last year I saw Ben Lovell from AmpCamp climbing all these mountains. They were coming to Scotland, and I thought, you know what, I’m going to jump on with these guys just to see what I can do.
"I didn’t know they were going to climb the tallest mountain in the UK. I had never climbed a mountain in my life and it took me 14 hours to do it. I was so happy I cried for three days.”
It's been a remarkable journey for Debbie who was told from an early age that she couldn't be as active as able-bodied person.
She added: “I didn’t realise until my daughter mentioned it, but I used to hide my disabilities. I used to wear long dresses, jeans and similar clothes that hid my prosthetic, even though my walking leg looked similar to a real leg."
Debbie has not let her disabilities stop her from leading a fairly normal life. But when she started attending gym classes in recent years, she discovered how her personal trainers would treat her differently than able-bodied attendees.
As a result, they failed to challenge her physically but all of that changed when she tried out Scott Brown Fitness in Irvine.
“Scott is ex-military, so he really understands how to push people. If I tell Scott I can’t do five reps, he tells me to do 10," revealed Debbie.
Prior to her attending AmpCamp, Scott asked Debbie if she was interested in getting a running blade funded through a local fundraiser – hosted by Scott himself. He had already held a fundraiser for a fellow veteran, whose son is a bilateral amputee.
Debbie then had the chance to use a Levitate running blade during the camp, and despite initial nerves, ended up wearing it for three consecutive days.
Levitate are a Danish firm that develops affordable and accessible sports prosthetics for leg amputees.
Debbie went on: "The day that I left I thought, you know what, I have to get this leg.”
"When I returned from AmpCamp, Scott asked me if I liked it. He then secured the funding within five days.
"Now I’m proud to show off my blade, and I love it when people ask me questions about it.”
Debbie spent 31 years working with the NHS but is now a therapist for children with anxiety.
She says her own struggles and newfound confidence gives her the tools to send a a powerful message to the youngsters.
She added: "I’ve been wearing the blade to work, and the kids are always very surprised and curious when they see me wearing it. A lot of them are bullied, so you can inspire them to be them just by showing your confidence.”
Debbie’s next challenge is running her first 5K at the end of June.
“I've always wanted to run," she said.
"I might not be running the whole 5K, but who’s to say I’m not going to do it in the future? I’ve just gotten started so I think I have done pretty not too bad already."
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