A London mother who lost her arm and leg after being run over by two Underground trains is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Sarah de Lagarde slipped on a platform at High Barnet Tube Station and fell onto the tracks, through the gap between the train and the platform, on a rainy night in September 2022.
The mother-of-two, from north London, broke her nose and two front teeth in the fall.
"Then the train departed and took my right arm with it," she previously told Sky News. "I was conscious throughout, and I shouted for help, and nobody heard me.
"A second train came onto the platform and claimed my right leg."
Just two years later Mrs de Lagarde, now a double “bionic” prosthetic wearer, is planning to climb 5,900-metre Mount Kilimanjaro along with her husband Jeremy, and their two daughters aged 10 and 13.
They are aiming to raise £25,000 for charity STAND, which supports amputees in conflict zones and developing countries.
Mrs de Lagarde and her family will embark on their 5,895 metre (19,340ft) journey up Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, in August.
The expedition is expected to take six days, and Mrs de Lagarde will be supported by a team of four medical professionals specialising in trauma and prosthetics.
It is thought she would become the first woman with a prosthetic leg and arm to scale Kilimanjaro.
Mrs de Lagarde and her husband first climbed the dormant volcano just a month before her life-altering accident - and she credits the experience with helping rally her as she lay on the Tube tracks fighting to stay alive.
“It was hard - we spent eight days on a mountain sleeping in a tent. There are no showers,” she previously told Irish news outlet RTE.
“But it was the most amazing experience, to be so close to nature, to feel how we are a little part of a big, big universe.
“That was exactly a month before [the accident]. You stand on top of the world, and then a month later you find yourself hitting rock bottom, literally going from one extreme to the other.
“And while I was lying on the tracks in that moment where I got angry. I said ‘I am not dying here - I just climbed Kilimanjaro. This is not happening’.”
“We’re not just climbing a mountain,” she said. “We’re hoping to lift the spirits and change the lives of those who have lost so much.
“This climb symbolises our family’s journey, our struggles, and our triumphs. But more importantly, it’s a call to action for anyone who believes in the power of community, compassion, and change.”
The family hopes to “highlight that having a limb difference doesn’t mean you can’t continue to contribute positively to society” and bring “hope” to amputees worldwide.
Since her ordeal, Mrs de Lagarde has become a motivational speaker and an advocate for mental health, safety on public transportation, and the development of responsible AI.
To find out more and donate, visit www.sarahdelagarde.com.
