Wirral woman with locked-in syndrome reaches the summit of Moel Famau

Mia Austin, 28, from Bebington has defied the odds but has been paralysed from the neck down, is unable to speak and has to be fed through a tube since her stroke Mia has been communicating through eye movement and a spelling chart to speak to friends and family.

On the run up to Christmas Mia indicated through a spelling chart that she would like her close friend Richard Williams to take her to the top of Moel Famau again so he asked the North East Wales Search and Rescue to see if they could help.

Mia’s dad, Rick told the Globe: “Before Mia had a stroke all she loved doing was climbing up mountains and now seven years on she’s trying to do as many things as she can organise.

“As a Christmas present, Mia’s friend Richard contacted the search and rescue service who immediately offered to take Mia up to Moel Famau. They made sure she was safe and used their 4x4 to take Mia up to the summit where she spent 40 minutes taking in the views.

“The name Mountains For Mia has helped her over the years to keep her on track - we have to encourage her to keep doing things and let people know who have supported her over the years what she is up to and her plans for the future.

“It all started after a group of us took up the Three peaks challenge to help raise funds to get Mia home out of hospital. So this is the second part of the challenge where Mia joined the original team at the top of Moel Famau.”

On Facebook Mia wrote: “Moel Famau, thank you so much to the mountain rescue team who helped me get to the top of Moel Famau today, really couldn’t of done it without them or Rich who organised everything.”

Rick added: “She’s on her facebook page all the time as she’s just stuck in the house, she can’t speak so she has a computer which recognises her eye gaze and will spell things out.

“Mia always wants to do something for charity too, she had gone to Calais to the refugee jungle and donated clothing in the camp. She’s also had her hair cut, been out to Liverpool with her carers to help the homeless and regularly donates to a children orphanage in Gambia which she visited last year.”

He said: “Right now she’s looking at doing any type of therapy and has her heart set on travelling to Budapest to complete a two week programme. She’s constantly researching any type of therapy in the hope she’ll stimulate other parts of the brain so she’s always looking for progress.

“However, in order to receive the appropriate rehabilitation Mia must find funding. Without funding her progress will be stalled and her morale eroded.

"It cannot be over-estimated how essential this rehabilitation really is for Mia and her future.

“We want to thank the people who have supported Mia and still do seven years on, they will never know how much it means to us.”

For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/MountainsForMia/?fref=ts and to donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mia-austin-1