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Ed was a professional football player, but in 2017 he had an accident in a swimming pool. After that, he couldn't move his body from the shoulders down.
Doctors told him that he'd probably never walk again, but Ed didn't want to believe this. He had recently got engaged to the woman who is now his wife and he said that she was the main reason he wanted to get better. He spent six days staring at his toes and trying to make them move—and, finally, he succeeded! This was the start of a long journey.
While in hospital, Ed met Paul, a man in his late thirties. Doctors had also told Paul he would never walk again, but Ed encouraged him not to give up and six months later, Paul told Ed he was walking with a stick.
Only a year after his accident, Ed climbed the highest mountain in Wales. Since then he has also climbed a 6,500-metre mountain in Nepal, and he said that after each big climb he noticed his body could do new movements.
Two years later, 31-year-old Ed climbed 8,848 metres, the height of the world's highest mountain, by going up and down his parents' stairs 2,783 times. When he finished, he told a news reporter he had loved it although it sometimes was "painful" and "boring". He also raised £46,000 for charity.
Ed hoped his story could help people. That's why he started his own charity, M2M, which aims to support people facing challenges in life.
理解
1. In which year did Ed climb the highest mountain in Wales?
In 2018.
2. Share with us one example of how you faced challenges in life.
Sure. I once failed a Maths test. Instead of getting upset, I made a list of my mistakes and practised those problems every day. I aced the next test! This taught me that learning from failure is the first step to success.
