Heart transplant patient feels he can 'do anything' after 110km Sahara trek

Fraser Wilson, who received a heart transplant in March 2023, completed more than 110km across the Moroccan Sahara last November to raise funds for the charity Crisis and has so far raised almost £11,500.

Fraser Wilson completed a trek of more than 110km across the Moroccan Sahara in November, roughly two years after receiving a heart transplant in March 2023. He undertook the challenge to raise funds for the homelessness charity Crisis and joined colleagues from his employer on the route. Wilson's transplant followed treatment for an inherited condition, genetic cardiomyopathy, which affected several members of his family. The operation was performed by the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital. Key facts: - Fraser Wilson is from Glasgow and is reported to be 48 years old. - His transplant took place in March 2023 and his cousin, Louise Campbell, also received a heart transplant at the same hospital in 2020. - The Sahara trek lasted four full days and two half-days and was completed in November alongside about 90 colleagues from Lloyds Banking Group; he described walking in a subgroup of around 30. - Mr Wilson has raised almost £11,500 for Crisis, and donations were collected via a JustGiving page reported in the article. - NHS Golden Jubilee is reported as Scotland's sole adult heart transplant centre since 2008 and has completed 271 such procedures. - A transplant nurse at the centre said the team regularly sees the life-changing impact of organ donation and expressed gratitude to donors and their families. Summary: The trek highlighted organ donation and fundraising for Crisis, and Mr Wilson said the experience left him feeling energised and capable in new ways. The hospital team emphasised the role of donors and staff in patients' recovery. Undetermined at this time.