{"id":59774,"date":"2022-09-20T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T08:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/?p=59774"},"modified":"2022-09-15T13:32:22","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T12:32:22","slug":"martins-mountain-qa-with-martin-and-wife-gabby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/martins-mountain-qa-with-martin-and-wife-gabby\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin’s Mountain: Q&A with Martin and wife Gabby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Northern bloody-mindedness. That\u2019s how the acclaimed poet Tony Walsh described the stuff Martin Hibbert was made of after taking on the challenge of climbing Africa\u2019s highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair back in June\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"martin<\/a><\/p>\n

Gabby has been by Martin\u2019s side throughout his journey, which began when he and his daughter Eve sustained life-changing injuries during the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. So, if there\u2019s anyone who knows what role bloody-mindedness has played in his recovery, she does. And if anyone has seen how deep he\u2019s been prepared to dig to achieve the things he has, she has.<\/p>\n

We were delighted to sit down with both Gabby and Martin, our vice president, to hear more about their journey \u2013 and why Gabby might just deserve a medal too\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q. When did you two first meet?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: She\u2019d always been someone I\u2019d noticed. After I split up with Eve\u2019s mum, I made some discreet enquiries about who Gabby was.<\/p>\n

Apparently, she\u2019d been making enquiries about me too! We were set up on a lunch date but I had to stand her up because I was on a work phone call. I ended up running after her car, introducing myself and asking for another chance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q. We\u2019ve learned a lot about what happened to Martin in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack. What are your memories of that night Gabby?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gabby: Martin had sent me a couple of pictures during the evening. At about 11pm, Martin\u2019s mum Janice called saying something had happened at the arena. I switched the TV on. Sky News were reporting that there had been an explosion at the arena, that there were fatalities. I just couldn\u2019t get hold of him.<\/p>\n

We rang around hospitals. After a couple of hours, Janice heard from Eve\u2019s mum Sarah to say that Eve was alive. We then found out Martin was in hospital. When we got there, we were told Martin wouldn\u2019t be able to walk again. We\u2019d spent four hours not knowing if he was alive or dead so just hearing he was alive was such a relief.<\/p>\n

The surgeon was about to operate on Martin and was asking me questions for the consent form. He asked what religion he was, and Martin suddenly spoke. He said \u2018Jedi Knight\u2019.<\/p>\n

As soon as I heard him say that, I thought, he\u2019s here with us, he\u2019s okay \u2013 everything was going to be alright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"martin<\/a><\/p>\n

Q. Can you tell us more about the weeks and months which followed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gabby: For the first two weeks his mum and I stayed in the hospital. I\u2019d get up, sit with him and just have mundane conversations. He was on so much medication and hallucinating a lot of the time. We were just surviving.<\/p>\n

Martin: The first thing I remember is Gabby telling me that Eve was still alive. That was enough. I\u2019d made peace in the
\narena that I wasn\u2019t going to get out of there. But here I was in hospital, alive.<\/p>\n

The surgeon was just about to operate on Martin and was asking me questions for the consent form. He asked what religion he was, and Martin suddenly spoke. He said \u2018Jedi Knight\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Q. Martin, you and Eve sustained life-changing injuries from a senseless act of violence. How do you cope with that aspect?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: I\u2019ve never been angry about it. If Eve hadn\u2019t survived, I don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve wanted to. Of course, I\u2019m gutted for her that we\u2019ll never know the person she could\u2019ve become.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s the only person in the world to survive her injury. I\u2019ll probably never walk Eve down an aisle, and she\u2019ll probably never have children. But I get to see her and have conversations with her every day. There are 22 families who weren\u2019t so lucky. Of course, as a dad it hurts that someone has hurt the most precious thing in my life. But I\u2019ve been brought up the right way and I\u2019m using all that hurt for the greater good now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Martin<\/a><\/p>\n

As a dad it hurts that someone has hurt the most precious thing in my life. But I\u2019ve been brought up the right way and I\u2019m using all that hurt for the greater good now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Q. After a spinal cord injury, roles within families often change. How have you all adapted to that over the years?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gabby: I didn\u2019t cope very well. Nobody gives you any training. He was released from the spinal cord unit, and we were left to our own devices. We couldn\u2019t go back to our old house as we needed to find an accessible place. Martin had to be sent to a nursing
\nhome with patients who\u2019d suffered traumatic brain injuries. His own mental health really started going downhill.<\/p>\n

Gary Dawson from SIA was an amazing support not just for Martin but for me too. He reassured us that what we were going
\nthrough was normal. I was crying out for someone who wasn\u2019t embarrassed to have conversations about things like bowels and
\nbladder care. Gary helped us both so much.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q. What were your initial thoughts when Martin first suggested climbing Mt Kilimanjaro?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gabby: I don\u2019t think he actually told me; I just began hearing lots of conversations about it. Readers will now see that I deserve a huge medal for the patience needed to live with Martin!<\/p>\n

My worry was what it would take out of him. Since his injury, he\u2019s been admitted to hospital six times with UTI\u2019s which turn into sepsis. I just thought, why do this to yourself after everything you\u2019ve been through?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Whole<\/a><\/h4>\n

Q. Tell me about the climb itself. Were you able to keep in touch with each other?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: I was very focused. I\u2019d quickly check in with Gabby to tell her I was fine, but I didn\u2019t want to lose the focus by hearing about anything back home.<\/p>\n

Gabby: We\u2019d have a quick chat and I was happy knowing he was safe and ok. I am learning to put trust in other people who can look after him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q. Two key members of the team had to leave the expedition. How did you cope during the tough parts of the climb?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: I listened to music like the soundtrack to Somewhere In Time \u2013 the music is orchestral and beautiful. It takes me to a place where I feel safe and happy.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re immensely proud of him but on a day-to-day basis, it\u2019s just the same, you don\u2019t really think about it \u2013 it\u2019s just Martin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Q. Getting to the summit at Gilman\u2019s Point was obviously an incredibly emotional moment for you. What are your memories of it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: Because of altitude you only get 25-30 mins when you get to the top. The important thing for me was to scatter my mum\u2019s ashes [Janice sadly passed away in November 2021] and to play our song.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Day<\/a><\/h4>\n

Q. You had many reasons for taking on this climb \u2013 What will be your lasting legacy?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Martin: It\u2019s not been done yet. I won\u2019t stop until everyone with a spinal injury gets the support they need to lead a fulfilled life. The revolution has started! What this climb does is elevate my story, my profile so one day I\u2019ll be able to knock on the door of No. 10 and say this isn\u2019t good enough. Invest in disabled people and look at what they are capable of doing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q. Gabby has been a huge part of this adventure. What has this tidal wave of support and love meant to you Gabby?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gabby: We\u2019re immensely proud of everything he\u2019s done but it still seems quite surreal. On a day-to-day basis, it\u2019s just the same, you don\u2019t really think about it \u2013 it\u2019s just Martin. Kili was such a huge challenge and now we\u2019re just living our lives. And looking forward to our holiday!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To read more articles this one before anyone else, make sure you are subscribed for FORWARD magazine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

FORWARD<\/em>\u00a0is the only magazine dedicated to the spinal cord injury community. With fascinating and thought-provoking lifestyle features and the latest news and research, the high-quality publication covers topics such as health, daily living, employment, relationships and family, sport and travel. Readers can also hear from other spinal cord injured people and their loved ones as they share personal stories and experiences.<\/p>\n

FORWARD<\/em>\u00a0is available either in traditional printed format or as a page-turning digital edition.<\/p>\n

Subscription<\/h2>\n

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Do you have a story to share that will interest and inform our readers? Please get in touch by sending a brief outline of the article you\u2019d like to write to\u00a0forward@spinal.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Northern bloody-mindedness. That\u2019s how the acclaimed poet Tony Walsh described the stuff Martin Hibbert was made of after taking on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6907,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[290],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59774"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6907"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59774"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59798,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59774\/revisions\/59798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armanios.co.uk\/dev\/sia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}