A man is raising money for a Salisbury charity in his feat to be the first tetraplegic to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Max Levene, 32, will embark on a challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in September, raising money for two charities, including the Salisbury based INSPIRE foundation based at Salisbury District Hospital.
Max suffered a spinal injury in 2009 while playing rugby, leaving him paralysed from the chest down. Before his injury, he lived in Kenya with his parents, where he set an ambition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in his lifetime.
13 years later, he has decided that his injury won't stop him from completing the challenge.
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Max said: "I'm doing it mainly to help support two charities: the RFU injured players foundation and the INSPIRE foundation. The idea came from before I broke my neck playing rugby, I was living in Kenya with my parents and I set my challenge to climb up Mount Kilimanjaro.
"13 years on, it felt like the right time to give it a try and complete the full circle."
The INSPIRE foundation raises funds to support the quality of life after spinal cord injury.
Max said: "I came across INSPIRE when I was in Salisbury spinal unit at Salisbury District Hospital. They really gave me some optimistic hope for the future, for people like me self, they do some really amazing research.
"They give hope that people like myself might have some chance of getting recovery in our lifetime. I became a patron for them last year and I’m always trying to keep in contact and support them where I can. They need support as they get no government funding."
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The challenge has been in preparation for a year, and Max has been exercising and more recently, training to prepare him for the low oxygen levels that he will endure while climbing the tallest mountain in Africa.
Max said: "I’m really looking forward to it, but it’s also nerve wracking. Although I’ve been organising it for 12 months, there’s so much to do but so little time.
“I don’t think it will dwell on me until I’m on the plane."
You can follow Max's journey on his Instagram page: @max_levene and X page: @Max_Levene1.
To donate, visit his page here.
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