Paisley Dog Handler Walks the Walk Up Ben Nevis 6 Months After Her Stroke

• Laura Collingwood, from Paisley, tackled Ben Nevis with her group of friends to raise more than £1,500 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

Marking the six-month anniversary of a life-changing health event is probably not high on most people’s to-do lists. Most people aren’t Laura Collingwood.

Just 34 years old when she had a stroke in June last year, Laura was determined to do something notable as part of her ongoing recovery.

So, she climbed Ben Nevis. In December. With just a couple of weeks to prepare.

And, having set herself a target of raising £1,000 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Laura’s smashed past that to gift the charity £1,710 – and counting.

Laura wanted to raise money for CHSS, and awareness of stroke and its effects on young people.

Laura said: “I’m very stubborn. I was determined to do something to prove a point, even if that point was only to myself.

“I’ve climbed Ben Nevis before but in summer. It seemed like the kind of tough challenge I should. I’m still recovering and I’m not where I want to be, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I know recovery will be ongoing for a long time, but I am still here, and I can still achieve things.

“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland seemed like the ideal charity for me to support when I asked some friends to help me climb Ben Nevis. I initially thought I’d set a target of £500 but then went for £1,000, and we’ve gone way past that.

“I can’t thank everyone who has supported me enough. It’s a tough time of year to do fundraising, but I have been blown away by how generous everyone is.”

Laura lives in Paisley and works as a dog handler with the MoD. There was no hint of anything wrong when she began to feel unwell late one evening in June. At first she put her symptoms down to flu, but when her arms and leg then began to feel numb, she realised she was actually having a stroke.

She called the emergency services herself, then made sure her two German shepherd dogs were safely locked away before paramedics arrived. By then, she was stuck on the stairs, unable to move.

Laura was taken to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital where she underwent a scan that revealed the stroke had been caused by an artery dissection in her neck. She underwent thrombolysis, a procedure that dissolves blood clots, then spent a week in hospital.

She is on a phased return to work and on ‘kennel duties’ rather than operational but has her sights set on being back on normal duties sooner rather than later.

Of the Ben Nevis climb on a bitterly cold December day, Laura said: “It was brutal! I’ve climbed in summer, and it took about six and a half hours. This took 12 hours. We went up in the dark and came back in the dark.

“We were very well prepared. We had all the right equipment and emergency shelters just in case.

“The toughest part of the climb and descent was battling the fatigue that stroke has left me with. My muscles ached, and my right side is still numb really.

“I’ve always had a very active lifestyle. I don’t do sitting around the house. And I look the same after the stroke, so it’s hard for people to understand that I can’t do what I used to do. That’s one of my main motivations for doing the fundraising – raise money but also raise awareness of stroke and what it does to someone, especially someone young like me.”

Louise MacLeod is the Community, Events and Corporate Fundraiser at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

She said: “We are immensely thankful for Laura’s incredible gesture taking on this challenge.

“To have a stroke only a few months ago and take on Ben Nevis is a testament to Laura’s strength, bravery and determination in the face of adversity. Laura took on a hard challenge for a worthwhile cause, and it shows people are always up for going the extra mile for CHSS.

“The money raised from this fundraiser goes towards helping us to support the 1 in 5 people across the country who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid to live their lives to the full.”

You can help boost Laura’s fundraising total by donating here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/laura-collingwood-1731599231632.

To find out more about fundraising for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland please go to www.chss.org.uk/supportus/fundraise-for-us/.

If you’re living with the effects of a chest, heart or stroke condition or Long Covid and looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0899. You can also text NURSE to 66777 or email adviceline@chss.org.uk.