Portsmouth chiropractor, 24, who nearly died from brain tumour raises £11,000 for the medics who saved his life
Ross Fripp, from Portsmouth, was a fit and healthy 24-year-old when he suddenly became very ill in August 2013.
He was diagnosed with a brain tumour and faced an eight-hour operation just three weeks later.
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Hide AdHe explained: ‘It was a case of, if you don’t have the operation you’ll die and so an operation it was.’
Following the procedure, Ross was unable to breathe by himself, walk, speak or swallow and suffered severe double vision, but following a 12-day stay in the neurological intensive care unit over Christmas, was eventually discharged home after 32 days in hospital to commence his rehabilitation.
The keen runner was devastated to discover that a paralysed vocal cord obstructed his airway, making running impossible.
So Ross turned his attention to two wheels and last year started training to undertake a cycling challenge known as ‘Everesting’, to raise money for charity Smile4Wessex at the Wessex Neurological Centre.
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Hide AdRoss said: ‘I can’t describe how happy it makes me feel to be able to give something back to the wonderful group of people who have kept me alive.
‘I simply cannot fault the care I received at the Wessex Neurological Centre both immediately after my surgery, and the support I still get four years on.’
The challenge saw Ross cycle up and down Southwick Hill 105 times to reach 29,445ft – higher than Everest.
The Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club member returned to the Wessex Neurological Centre to present a cheque for £11,585 to his Consultant Neurosurgeon and Trustee for Smile4Wessex, Mr Paul Grundy.
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Hide AdRoss said: ‘I wanted to pick a challenge that I knew wouldn’t be easy, I wanted to do something difficult to raise as much as possible to show my gratitude to Mr Grundy and every single person involved in my care, the surgeons, the doctors and nurses were all amazing people.
‘Without any of these people this wouldn’t have been possible.’
Kathryn Grimes, community fundraising officer at Smile4Wessex said: ‘We were lucky enough to be at the roadside cheering Ross on early in the morning and my colleague Neil was there at the end, and it was remarkable how Ross never lost his pace.
‘We are totally in awe of all Ross has achieved. His incredible determination and desire to make a difference and give something back to the Wessex Neurological Centre is inspiring and he should be very proud of himself.’
To donate visit gofundme.com/hw565t