Quadruple amputee who has raised thousands for charities to help other children with disabilities.
Luke Mortimer had to have all his limbs amputated to save his life after contracting meningococcal meningitis septicaemia in 2019. After six months in hospital and 23 operations, he eventually went home – but his life had changed forever.
Dad Adam said: “Luke seemed to take it all in his, now, slightly smaller stride. He had his moments but mostly got stuck into whatever the task needed, from trying to balance to learning to use cutlery again, all mastered with a smile.”
The resilient young man refused to be held back, deciding to turn his own experiences into a driving force and going on to raise thousands for organisations that help other children with disabilities.
In 2023 Luke, now 12, climbed 656ft to the summit of Embsay Crag, near Skipton, raising more than £26,000 for charities including LimbPower and Children in Need,
A year later, Luke ‘s dad joined a team of 19 to climb the National Three Peaks and Yorkshire Three Peaks in under 46 hours. Luke, Mum Christine, and brother Harry, 15, climbed the final mountain, Pen-y-ghent, where they met the rest of the group on the summit.
They raised almost £20,000 to help fund prosthetics for Luke and help other children with amputations through the Amp Camp Kids charity.
Luke is determined to keep doing challenges to raise even more money. He said: “I’ve gone through all this, everyone focused on me, and there are others in need so I want to give back to the people who saved me and others who need help.”
When Adam and five others kayaked 22 miles across Loch Lomond and climbed all 15 mountains making up the Welsh 3000s, Luke and his school friends did a supporting challenge, in which he completed 4 miles on the rowing machine and 5 miles on the treadmill. Other pupils chipped in a mile or so until the total completed by everyone involved matched the distance travelled by Adam and his team mates. They raised over £7,500 of their £30,000 target.
“The biggest challenge for me was learning again all of the things you usually learn at an incredibly young age,” said Luke. “But I’m a reasonably positive person and believe the past is in the past and you should concentrate on the future.”
What the Judges said: “Talk about determination. It’s hard to imagine how tough losing his limbs must have been for such an active young boy, but he has simply refused to let anything hold him back. An inspiration.”
