A Paisley man who undertook a challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania ended up in hospital battling pneumonia.
Stevie Kidd completed the charity trek for the second time, but within hours of reaching the summit, he had to be stretchered off across the African mountain range for 90 minutes before being rushed to hospital.
Despite the health scare, the 51-year-old has vowed to climb the 20,000ft mountain for a third time next year as well as making plans to take part in a volcano marathon challenge in Chile in five months, the Paisley Daily Express reports.
He said: “Five Tanzania boys put me on a stretcher and tank of oxygen, and then raced right across the mountain for an hour-and-a-half to get me to a camp.
“It was there that a 4x4 car picked me up. My guide from the mountain stayed with me the whole time as I was taken to hospital.
READ MORE: Glasgow East End shopkeeper warned he could lose licence over alcohol display
“I was in hospital for a few hours getting X-rays, bloods taken, and the doctor said, ‘There’s no way you could have been up Kilimanjaro’.”
The scan showed a dark grey patch on Stevie's lungs, which was diagnosed pneumonia. While doctors were initially concerned by the condition of his lungs when he was admitted, he was released later that day.
The Glenburn dad explained that he didn't fully realise how severe his condition was as he was so focused on completing the challenge. He is now working on getting back to full fitness back home in Paisley after landing on Tuesday.
Stevie, who runs business-coaching company Stevie Kidd Pathways, was joined by nine people he works with – three Americans, three Scots, and three English trekkers.
The challenge took five days to complete and despite the difficulties along the way - including all the group experiencing altitude sickness - they all finished it.
Around £3,000 was raised via the JustGiving page for the Paisley-based charity Finding Your Feet, which supports families affected by amputation or limb absence.
Stevie was quick to praise his fellow charity hikers. He said: “They’ve been on a two-year journey building up to this, going through everything from assessments and coaching to better understanding their business, emotions and life.
“This trip took these people to the roof of Africa. But it wasn’t just about the mountain, it was about psychology and transforming their mindset.
“The good thing was they were all raising funds for their charities as well.”
