A woman who suffers from a rare genetic disorder will be celebrating her 21st birthday by wheeling herself up the summit of Latrigg.
Melissa McComas, from Eccleston, Merseyside, was three years old when she was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, which is a genetic condition that affects the nervous system, causing severe physical and learning difficulties.
As a result of the condition, Melissa suffers from epilepsy, has mobility problems, limited motor skills and the lack of a spoken voice. All of these affect every aspect of her life, and she requires 24-hour care.
Despite her physical limitations, Melissa has participated in several walking and wheelchair-related challenges to raise money for charity, and now she’s set her sights on wheeling her chair up to the top of Latrigg on 16 July, which is the day she turns 21 years old.
Her mother Kathryn McComas, who will be accompanying her, said: “Since one of her favourite places is the Lake District I thought Latrigg would be a good choice as her first Wainwright and quite a small accessible fell.
“We are staying in the Lakes for three days with our lovely friends at Lindeth Howe Hotel in Bowness who are kindly providing our accommodation. We are planning to have a little party at the summit of Latrigg plus a cake and special dinner at the hotel.”
Melissa and Kathryn will be joined by Melissa’s older brother Jacob and a couple of supporters on the journey to the top of the fell, and they’ve set themselves a fundraising target of £2,100 which will be split between the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), and the Lake District Foundation.
Melissa and Kathryn recently visited GNAAS’ base to learn more about the operations of the charity and met Dr Phil Dowson and paramedic Ian Grey who gave them a tour of their helicopter.
Kathyrn said: “We chose GNAAS as were looking for a charity which was based in and served Cumbria. After reading about the amazing work they do in such a challenging area, it was an easy choice and especially after chatting to Ian and Phil and hearing some of the stories, we are very happy to be supporting the charity.
“Melissa thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the base, the highlight was her bear Smiler sitting in the helicopter after being fitted into the helmet and visor, we all had a really good laugh at that.”
If you’re interested in joining Melissa for her challenge or cheering her on, get in touch with Kathryn on X: @melissassmile or Instagram: @melissassmile15
To sponsor Melissa visit her GoFundMe page.
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