A former Lewis resident had to be dramatically airlifted to hospital as he risked his life in a charity bid to reach the world’s highest mountain.
Charles Dewhurst was undertaking a trek to Everest base camp at 17,600 ft to raise funds for a cystic fibrosis charity inspired by a young islander and a Scottish lifeboat.
He even aimed to climb 2200ft higher up the mountain.
But as he was just over a mile – and 1400 feet in height – from base camp he collapsed suffering from severe altitude sickness.
His guide and porter immediately telephoned the trekking agency and within 90 minutes a rescue helicopter whisked the 56-year-old – who now lives at Kilsyth near Glasgow – to hospital in Kathmandu.
But despite his ordeal Mr Dewhurst, a site agent for Scottish Water, has vowed to go back and complete the trek this year.
The father-of-three has so far raised around £6000 for The Leanne Fund and St Abbs Independent Lifeboat.
Mr Dewhurst said: “I collapsed with acute mountain sickness. My body was screaming for oxygen. I had been suffering from confusion, loss of appetite, aching bones etc for a while before.
“Just getting up in the morning required a superhuman effort. It was best described to me as like dry drowning. Your lungs are suffering and you do not even have the strength to vomit. It is a nasty, nasty feeling.
“I tried to keep going because I was thinking ‘I’m doing this for charity, I’m not going to let it beat me,’ but it did.”
Mr Dewhurst began his trek on December 16 and was flown to hospital in the Nepalese capital six days later after he reached around 16,200 feet.
“I’m ok now. But if I had continued the trek I would have gone on to the next chronic stage of altitude sickness – bleeding from the nose and blood in the salvia etc – and my life would have definitely been in danger.
“I would not say I’m brave, but I am adventurous and I do want to go back sometime this year. But maybe not at the same time. The temperatures were very cold – down to minus 20C. It was a very dry cold – horrendously cold.“
The Leanne Fund, to help cystic fibrosis sufferers, was set up in 2009 in memory of Leanne Mitchell from Lewis, who was 21 when she died.