A BUILDER on a mission to beat heart disease is climbing the Seven Summits in memory of his brother. 

Andy Morgan’s older sibling Jon died at the age of just 31, having been diagnosed with a heart condition in his teens. He had been living with it since birth.

The devastating experience inspired Andy to “chase his dreams” by scaling the highest peaks in each of the seven continents while raising £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

Andy, a construction site manager in Swindon, said: “It was a hard time. Jon got fitted with a pacemaker but it just got progressively worse. 

“He wasn’t physically capable of climbing because of his condition but he was interested in sport and was very active. He was super supportive of me.”

“I should have started this years ago but I was dealing with the shock of losing my brother. But with Covid, I realised even more that life is too short and you’ve got to go out there and do stuff. 

“I say to anyone – chase your dreams.”

Andy climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in August 2019 and Aconcagua in Argentina in February 2020 and hopes to resume the ultimate mountaineering challenge once Covid restrictions allow.

He said: “It might take me a while to complete but it’s something I’ve dreamt of doing. I like to push my body to the extreme so I thought this was a big enough challenge.”

“I’ve always loved being outdoors. Aconcagua was 7,000m, so pretty high and altitude sickness did kick in for that one.”

Andy was also guided in South America by world record mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

He added: “It was pretty inspirational, I knew I was in the best possible hands. He taught me stuff which was invaluable for further climbs.”

He must next tackle Elbrus in Russia and Everest, before moving on to Denali in North America, Vinson in Antarctica and Puncak Jaya in Indonesia.

Andy, from Crudwell, has taken part in marathons, cycling events and outdoor hiking but this is his toughest test to date. 

He added: “There are actually not many people who have done it – I think about 5,000 people in the UK

“With lots of the companies who organise the climbs they have to deem you’ve got the experience to take part.”

Andy is self-funding the first three climbs but will be looking for some sponsorship for the remaining summits.

“I’ve met so many like-minded people from around the world,” he said. “I’m going to new places.

“This challenge may go on for another 10 years. I’m hoping to have done three and four by next year.”

Donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-7summits and follow the challenge at instagram.com/andy_7summits