From surgery to summit - Kirsty Mack's incredible Everest adventure

Prof Mackay nearly crashed his car when he tuned into Heart Radio and heard Jennifer chatting to a former patient, Kirsty Mack, about becoming only the 6th ever Scottish woman to climb Everest! The reason for his astonishment was that he and the mountaineer and ski instructor met after she crashed, skiing off-piste in Scotland, was whisked off the mountains by helicopter and then ended up on his operating table having surgery for the bad shoulder injury she sustained. So of course we had to invite her to talk to us more.

For her part, Kirsty remembers thinking that after following her rehab to a tee she would soon be as right as rain again. But, as she found out, serious shoulder injuries like this can leave lasting effects. 

In an incredible episode, we talk to this high-octane adventurer about scaling some of the world's highest mountains without the full function of one arm. What it takes out of her physically and how it has affected her mentally when skiing or climbing. 

We talk about her shoulder - fracture dislocation, and why the injury was so serious,  in terms of what it meant for someone whose use of full arm extension and grip is crucial. Prof Mackay explains more about the injury and why surgery was necessary.

Of course, we also talk from the comfort of our studio about what an incredible experience it was getting to the top of the world - the highs, the lows, the danger points and listen out for the huge twist near the end of Kirsty's Everest tale!

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