A MAN who was paralysed in the Manchester Arena bombing says he is ready for the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ as he gears up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity.
Martin Hibbert, 44, who used to live in Wibsey, was paralysed from the waist down when he and his teenage daughter were among the hundreds injured in the terror attack on May 22, 2017.
He is now planning to take a Paralympic torch from the London Games to the top of Africa’s highest mountain in September and hopes to raise £1 million for the Spinal Injuries Association.
Mr Hibbert will use a custom-built handbike for the seven to 10-day challenge, which he said he was inspired to do after learning only one in three people with spinal cord injuries receive treatment at specialist centres.
Martin was the closest person to the Manchester Arena bomber to survive. He was left paralysed from the waist down and is now in a wheelchair.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 16, 2021
He's now attempting to summit Mt Kilimanjaro and he tells @benshephard & @susannareid100 how he will take on the challenge.
Amazing 🙌 pic.twitter.com/to7EucVfye
Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Mr Hibbert said: “Every day when you have a spinal cord injury is like climbing a mountain.
“I thought ‘why not climb one, like Mount Kilimanjaro, it will be a massive feat.
“It’s going to be extremely difficult. I’m having a customised bike built for me. Because I will be doing it with my arms all the way up.
“It will be blood, sweat and tears all the way up. That’s my life at the minute.
“Many people with spinal injuries are not getting the support they need to live a full life, that’s wrong. That’s what this climb is about.
“You can sit and mope about it, or you can get up and fight, and that’s what I do.
“I can’t wait to share it all with you.”
He was offered tips to complete the Kilimanjaro climb by Good Morning Britain presenter Ben Shephard, who took part in the same feat in 2009.
Mr Hibbert was also given words of encouragement as he prepares for the climb by actor Brian Blessed, TV presenters Ben Fogle and Ade Adepitan.
He will be joined on the climb by Rob Grew, who ran into the Manchester Arena immediately after the explosion to offer help to the severely injured casualties, and Stuart Wildman, the head nurse at the Major Trauma Centre at Salford Royal who treated Mr Hibbert when he was admitted after his injury.
Since his recovery, Mr Hibbert has worked with the Spinal Injuries Association as a trustee to offer hope, confidence and practical skills to other people paralysed by spinal cord injury.
Go to justgiving.com/campaign/martinsmountain to make a donation.
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