Teen who broke his back sledging set to climb Eiffel Tower
- Published
Filip Cegar, pictured with his parents Petar and Irena, is planning to fundraise a recliner chair for the RACH's High Dependency Unit
An Aberdeen teenager who broke his back and breastbone in a sledging accident seven months ago, is planning to climb the Eiffel Tower.
Filip Cegar, 13, was injured at a golf course in Bieldside on 8 December 2022.
He had to learn to walk again but is now preparing to climb the 674 steps of the famous Paris landmark.
The schoolboy said stairs were "the biggest challenge" during his recovery and revealed it had always been his dream to visit the French capital.
Speaking to BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Filip said he was with a friend at the time of the accident.
"Since it was snowy, we couldn't really see the slopes that well and we went somewhere we'd never been before," he said.
"We thought it was a straight slope but there was a ditch, we closed our eyes and we just went as fast as we can and we both fell into the metre high ditch."
Filip Cegar has been rebuilding his muscles and his balance since his sledging accident
Filip, a pupil at Cults Academy, said he was "quite aware of the situation" and the fact that he had seriously hurt himself.
His friend was fortunate to escape with a hand injury.
Filip added: "I was thinking about how I'm going to be paralysed for the rest of my life.
"It's a really weird feeling when you genuinely can't feel your legs and when you're in so much pain."
Filip received an operation the day after the accident.
Surgeons at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital (RACH) realigned his spine and fixed his spinal cord in place to prevent any further damage.
He was then transferred to the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow, where he had to learn to walk again.
His father, Petar, said partial recovery was considered a best case scenario for Filip's condition but "his recovery started to take a really positive path".
He told Good Morning Scotland: "Stairs were one of the big challenges for him at the time and keeping balance, and learning to walk again.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the world's most famous landmarks
When Filip returned to Aberdeen, he lost a significant amount of weight but he began a physiotherapy programme to rebuild his muscles and his balance.
Despite being a minor, he was also given full access to a local gym's adult hours to aid his recovery.
Filip's last operation took place on 7 July, when his surgical team removed all the metal from his spine.
Petar said: "Just before the surgery, I think physically he was almost at the place he was before the accident so we're all looking forward to the challenge."
The 13-year-old plans to fundraise his Eiffel Tower climb, with the money raised will be used to buy a recliner chair for the RACH's High Dependency Unit.
Any additional money will help to fund a room in The Archie Foundation's, external Family Centre, where families can stay while their children are patients.
The charity exists to transform experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for babies, children and families across North Scotland.
Speaking about the upcoming trip, Filip said it had always been his dream to visit Paris.
He added: "I think now I'm ready to climb the Eiffel tower.
"It's going to be a big achievement in my life and I think by doing it, I'll be able to move on with my life and forget the incident."