Ayrshire amputee who was told she 'couldn't be as active' as others scales new heights as mountaineer

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An Ayrshire amputee is hitting new heights as a mountaineer after years of hiding her disability.Debbie McQuat, who was born with a missing leg and underdeveloped arm, has scaled nine Munros since taking up her new found passion last year.The 49-year-old mum from Stevenston, was inspired by Ben Lovell, an Englishman who set up an 'Ampcamp' fitness retreat for amputees after losing his right leg as a result of a blood clot in 2017.And in a whirlwind 12 months she's gone from someone who never saw sport as an option to climbing Ben Nevis — the UK's highest peak at 4,413ft.Debbie, a former pupil of Kilwinning Academy, said: “It’s like I’m in a midlife crisis, but instead of getting a car, I’m climbing mountains and working out.“Last year I saw Ben Lovell from AmpCamp climbing all these mountains.

They were coming to Scotland, and I thought, you know what, I’m going to jump on with these guys just to see what I can do."I didn’t know they were going to climb the tallest mountain in the UK.

I had never climbed a mountain in my life and it took me 14 hours to do it. I was so happy I cried for three days.”It's been a remarkable journey for Debbie who was told from an early age that she couldn't be as active as able-bodied person.She added: “I didn’t realise until my daughter mentioned it, but I used to hide my disabilities.

I used to wear long dresses, jeans and similar clothes that hid my prosthetic, even though my walking leg looked similar to a real leg."Debbie has not let her disabilities stop her from leading a fairly normal life.