Paralympian Aaron Phipps, from Totton, Hampshire, is featured in a new Channel 5 documentary which recounts his record breaking climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, raising funds for Meningitis Research Foundation and the Shaw Trust.
At the age of 15, Aaron’s life was turned upside down when he contracted meningococcal C meningitis and septicaemia. He ended up needing to have both legs amputated and most of his fingers. After a long period of rehabilitation, Aaron got into wheelchair racing, and now age 35 he is one of the UK’s top Paralympians. He competed at London 2012 in the GB Paralympic rugby team, where he scored over half team’s points and he’s currently training towards Tokyo 2020.
In 2016, Aaron became the first disabled British person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without assistance. Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world and as Aaron got higher up the mountain, his off-road wheelchair could no longer deal with the rough terrain so increasingly he trekked on his hands and knees, culminating in an epic nine hour trek through the night and freezing temperatures to reach the summit.
Channel 5 has made a documentary about his incredible achievement. Catch up on My5 by searching for World’s Greatest Mountains and select episode 4 - Kilimanjaro. Or view it online here: https://www.my5.tv/mountain/season-1/episode-4.