An Edinburgh Napier physiotherapy student has completed a trek to Everest Base Camp – just three years after a spinal stroke caused a complete loss of sensation below his chest that left him unable to walk.
Cameron Ross was sitting at home watching TV back in January 2022 when he first experienced what he thought was a stitch in his stomach.
The sensation continued and he soon found himself unable to stand up, with numbness spreading from the middle of his chest down to his legs.
He was admitted to hospital – a process that was met with several complexities due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time – with the quest to find out the cause of the issue lasting a number of days.
Three MRI scans and a lumber puncture all came back clear before a likely diagnosis of a spinal stroke was given.
Cameron was working with Hearts FC as a sports scientist at the time of his injury and he used his knowledge – and that of staff from Hearts FC and from Raith Rovers who he previously worked for – to start his rehab straight away.
Cameron said: “My rehab basically started while I was still in hospital. With my knowledge from working in that sort of area, I knew that I needed to start to stimulate the nerves in my legs and feet almost straight away.
“I started to pull myself up using a walking frame which let me begin to feel the floor with my feet again. I did this repeatedly for 10 days and I started to be able to balance. My partner took my physio bands in too. I was just really determined to do everything I could to start to feel more like myself and get home.
“I had previously worked with Raith Rovers, and the club and medical team were brilliant with me. I used their facilities almost every day to rehab and after about two months, I was pretty much back on my feet. The Hearts medical team were great too. They helped me out so much and provided me with a platform to return to the club in a safe and supported manner.
“I definitely found the mental aspect of rehab more difficult than the physical side of it. I could still push weights. My muscle strength was the same – I just couldn’t feel myself doing it. I had constant pins and needles in my feet. My mum sadly passed away after a cancer diagnosis too. It was a tough, tough time but I just tried to be as resilient as I possibly could.”
Despite his remarkable recovery, Cameron still manages a range of hidden challenges every day because of the injury.
As a result of this, he decided to move away from the sports science world and retrain as a physiotherapist at Edinburgh Napier University.
This switch in career provided him with the chance to merge his background in sport with his stroke experience and recovery to ultimately help others.
However, Cameron – who will officially graduate from Edinburgh Napier in July this year with the class medal – was not done there.
After meeting his own rehab objective of being able to climb a Munro, he set his sights on the most difficult climb of them all – Everest Base Camp.
Cameron completed the trek in January this year – helping raise nearly £2,500 for Spinal Injuries Scotland, a charity that supports people through a spinal cord injury and one particularly close to his heart.
He said: “The support I received from Spinal Injuries Scotland after my injury was brilliant. I had so many questions and they couldn’t have helped more. I received peer support, and the charity basically just let me chat and get everything I was feeling about my injury and recovery out in the open. Any frustrations, anger, sadness, breakthroughs – they listened to it all and it helped massively.
“The trek to Everest Base Camp was something I’ll never forget. Dealing with the altitude was far more difficult than I ever thought it would be. I’d like to say I enjoyed it but the truth is, my body was so tired when I reach the summit, I didn’t have much left to take it all in. But I’m so happy to have done it though – it still feels a bit surreal that I managed to do that so soon after my injury.”
The milestones just keep coming for Cameron who will take up a role as a physiotherapist with Birmingham City FC later this month.
The move down south will mark a full-circle moment for him, as he completes his journey back into the sport.
Cameron added: “I’ve been really focused on getting back into football. I’ve really loved my time at Edinburgh Napier. I had some great experiences on placement, and I could have stayed within the NHS, in a more medical environment. But football has always been my passion, and I feel like I’ve sort of got unfinished business in the sport. Getting a job in the English game has always been very competitive but I’m delighted to be joining Birmingham City at what is an exciting time for the club. I can’t wait to get started.”
Cameron's JustGiving page for his trek to Everest Base Camp can be found here.