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Woman hit by Tube trains to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

Sarah de Lagarde Sarah de Lagarde and her husbandSarah de Lagarde
Sarah de Lagarde is taking on the climb with her husband and daughters

A woman who lost an arm and leg after being run over by two Tube trains is aiming to become the first female double prosthetic wearing amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Sarah de Lagarde, from Camden, north London, said she is taking on the climb with her daughters and husband, and wants them to remember it as a "great adventure".

They will climb the dormant Tanzanian volcano on 8 August.

The Tube accident happened in September 2022, a month after she first climbed the 19,341ft (5,895m) mountain.

'Reclaim my freedom of movement'

Sarah de Lagarde Sarah de Lagarde is helped with her hiking boot while sat on a rockSarah de Lagarde
Ms de Lagarde said she doesn't want her children to think of her as a "victim"

Her right arm and right leg were amputated as a result of her injuries.

"It feels like since then I've climbed a whole different mountain over the last two years just to reclaim my freedom of movement," she told BBC Radio London.

"I think the main motivation here is my children.

"They were there in my mind's eye on that night as I was lying on the tracks.

"I heard their voices so clearly say: 'Mummy what are you doing? You're supposed to come home'.

Sarah de Lagarde Sarah de Lagarde at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro sign.Sarah de Lagarde
Ms de Lagarde was hit by two Tube trains a month after she first climbed Mount Kilimanjaro

"I draw my strength from them because I don't want to ruin their childhood and I don't want them to think of their mum as a victim, as a burden to them and to society more broadly.

"I want to spend time with them and I want to make positive memories for them. I want them to remember this as a time of great adventure."

Sarah de Lagarde Sarah de Lagarde on a hike. She is standing along some stone steps on the side of a mountain, blue sky and clouds behind her and a grassy mountainside on the left.Sarah de Lagarde
Ms de Lagarde said she had to learn how to walk again

Ms de Lagarde added: "The other driver is that the last time I felt truly happy and in control and strong was at the top of that mountain, so I am chasing that feeling somehow.

"We used to be a very sporty family anyway and I don't want to be the one who holds everyone back.

"I'm conscious that this is going to be really, really hard.

"I have no guarantee that I would even make it past the first gate... but I want to give it a go."

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