A man who suffered a cardiac arrest as he climbed Ben Nevis finally made it to the summit two years late as he returned with the stranger who saved his life. Courtney Ferguson, a physiotherapist, leapt to the aid of Trevor Botwood when she saw him collapse on the mountainside during a climb in August 2020.
The 27-year-old gave him chest compressions while waiting for the air ambulance to arrive and, thanks to her swift actions, Mr Botwood later made a full recovery. Two years on he decided he would attempt the climb again - alongside Ms Ferguson - to "move on and put the incident to bed".
Mr Botwood, 63, said: “Heading back up Ben Nevis with Courtney two years after she saved my life felt really special. If it wasn’t for her and her swift actions, I wouldn’t be here today.
“It was brilliant to finally reach the top. It was like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders."
Mr Botwood, from Leeds, had initially attempted the hike in August 2020 with his siter Irene. Around halfway up he got into trouble and he was spotted tumbling forward by Ms Ferguson.
Unable to find a pulse, she sprung into action. "All my previous training just kicked in and I went into autopilot," said Ms Ferguson, who works at Bonnyrigg Health Centre in Midlothian.
"I managed to get another passer-by to help hold Trevor’s head to aid his airway, while I started doing chest compressions. My sister, Brogan, called 999 and alerted Trevor’s sister who was further down the mountain.
“When Trevor finally regained consciousness, I was able to use what I had learned during my time in ICU throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and knelt behind him holding him until the helicopter got there as he was quite distressed. It felt like it had only been around 10 minutes but, actually, I carried out chest compressions for nearly 20 minutes.”
He was initially flown to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and later moved to a hospital in Leeds. He has now fully recovered and the pair have stayed in touch ever since.
He returned to Britain's highest peak on August 6 this year alongside Ms Ferguson and their friends and families. They finally made it to the top, raising money for Scottish Mountain Rescue in the process.
Mr Botwood said: “I owe my life to Courtney. She’s a beautiful person inside and out."
