From rock bottom... to top of the world

AFTER losing his legs in Afghanistan, former Gurkha Hari Budha Magar has had both spiritual and physical mountains to climb.

- BY HANNAH BRITT

Struggling to cope after an IED blew up beneath him in 2010, the father of three descended into an alcoholic abyss and attempted suicide. Then one moment changed everything.

He says: "I took up the opportunity to go skydiving. I thought, 'Half of me is already gone, what does it matter about the other half?' But when I was about to jump, I felt something: fear. I realised I didn't want to die. It sparked something in me I hadn't felt for years - hope."

What followed resulted in a double amputee conquering Everest and being made an MBE.

Hari, 46, says: "The Nepalese people are proud of three things: Everest, Nepal being the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and being the home of the Gurkhas."

And the former serviceman is now about to embark on his latest challenge - climbing 4,892m Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.

The climb will mark the completion of his 7 Summits challenge, ascending the highest peaks of each continent. Hari says: "I want to show that anything is possible. I'm still a human being - I just have a couple of limbs missing."