Aberdeen teen to climb Eiffel Tower seven months after breaking his back
Filip Cegar, 13, has had to learn how to walk again
A 13-year-old Cults Academy pupil is preparing to scale the 674 step of the Eiffel Tower just seven months on from a freak accident that left him having to learn how to walk again.
Filip Cegar broke his back and his breastbone on December 8th, 2022.
"Me and my best friend were going to sledge at the golf course", he said.
"We had been there many times but we saw a place we had never been to before so we decided to go from the very top of the hill and just close our eyes and rush to the bottom.
"The last thing I remember is feeling fear and I remember my friend pulling me up on to the sledge, but he couldn't manage to pull me all the way up.
"He had to run back to the clubhouse to get some help."
A mental challenge
Filip admits that the rehabilitation, which has seen him have countless scans and operations, has been a challenge.
"I think mentally the accident destroyed me.
"In the hospital I just thought, 'is this really happening?', I just couldn't believe it. Nothing that serious has happened in my life.
" A few days ago I had my final surgery to remove the rods from my spine. I had to recover again, which brought some flashbacks.
"Now, I just feel free. I feel like I can be myself again because there's nothing limiting me."
'Filip was literally broken in half'
Filip’s dad Petar rushed from the family home in Milltimber to the golf club, to find his son lying on the ground and unable to move.
"I had spent many hours watching Filip and his friends sledge but that day the boys went on their own for the first time.
"When I got there, he was lying there on the snow. People were around him covering him with jackets,” Petar explained.
"We didn’t know what was happening but we could see he couldn’t move his legs or arms and he was screaming in pain. The first estimates were not good."
He was taken by ambulance to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, where he was met by a major trauma team.
He underwent an urgent operation led by consultant neurosurgeon Mr James Walkden, to realign his spine and fix the bones in place, preventing damage to his spinal cord.
Petar remembers: "Filip was literally broken in half because he broke his back and sternum. Before the operation, Mr Walkden said he didn’t want to raise any hopes, but luckily he didn’t break his spinal cord.
"I can’t tell you the feeling – I had to sit down. Immediately after the surgery Filip started to have some control and some movement, not even 24 hours on.
"I can’t praise the professionalism of all the staff enough. The Archie Foundation gave us a room and we were shown so much patience and goodwill. We could not have asked for more."
Filip was then transferred to the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow, where he had to learn to walk again.
Saying thank you
Continuing, Petar said: "Training with me in the gym has been an important part of Filip’s journey. I still had to work though and could only go at certain times.
"Normally children are only allowed in the gym during specific times but the team at Kippie Lodge made an exception for Filip because they could see how important it was to his recovery."
Filip’s last operation took place on July 7, when his surgical team removed all the metal from his spine.
The teen said: "I know so many people say it, but never stop believing it will get better. That’s what my family and everyone here at the hospital managed to do and mentally that has contributed massively to my recovery.
"Now I want to use my fitness to raise money for the Archie Foundation to give something back as they were such a huge support to me and my family."
You can donate to Filip’s JustGiving appeal here.