Posted: Tuesday 13 September 2011
Inspirational story of courage over adversity
Lara Gilmour and Lawrie Carlaw of S6 share their thoughts on the 2 September Talking Points lecture from Mountaineer Jamie Andrew.
During our Talking Points hour last Friday, S6 had the chance to hear from Jamie Andrew, a truly inspirational man who, despite having lost both his hands and feet in a mountaineering accident, is probably more active than the whole of our year put together!
In 1999, Andrew and his best friend Jamie Fisher set off on their 3-day hike up Les Droites in the French Alps. However, although the sky was clear and calm during their ascent, when they reached the summit a raging storm had rolled in, leaving the men trapped on a tiny square of ice, surrounded on either side by dizzyingly steep drops. As Andrew told us of the 5 days that followed, every single person was totally engrossed in the story, and when he recounted the horror of having to watch his best friend pass away due to hypothermia, there were very few dry eyes in the hall.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of the story is the days, weeks, months and years which followed when Andrew had come to terms with not only the loss of his best friend, but the loss of his hands and feet which had to be amputated as a result of frostbite and blood poisoning. We learned how he had rebuilt his life, literally step by step, and was now taking part in marathons, skiing and even rock climbing! The one thing that struck me the most though, was how happy he was, and I believe everybody was touched by the positive vibe emitted by him.
One thing we all learned from Jamie Andrew is that however daunting our problems seem, there is always hope for conquering them and enjoying our lives with what we have.