Jamie Andrew

Jamie Andrew is an astonishing individual.  An unassuming hero who describes himself as an ordinary guy who just happens to have gone through extraordinary events. In 1999 he survived for five days perched precariously on an icy ledge at the summit of an Alpine mountain while winds raged to 130 km per hour, and temperatures plummeted to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Despite hypothermia and severe frostbite, Jamie was still conscious as he was snatched from the ledge by the French Mountain Rescue Services in a daring and spectacular rescue that arrived tragically only hours too late to save his climbing partner.

 

Jamie survived the ordeal, but at great personal cost.  Ten days later his hands and his feet, damaged beyond repair by the frostbite, were amputated.  Many, including some of the medical staff who had fought so hard to save him, felt that this was a fate worse than death.

Amazingly, three months later Jamie emerged from hospital, walking on prosthetic legs, having once again learnt to manage everyday tasks such as feeding, washing and dressing.

Since then Jamie has defied all expectations by running the London Marathon, returning to climbing – using his own design of prosthetic ice axe, climbing Ben Nevis, revisiting the Alps, reaching the roof of Africa, and learning to ski, snowboard, sail and paraglide, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity in the process. His humble and unassuming manner, coupled with an un-crumpled positive attitude towards life and its challenges make Jamie an extraordinary example of bravery and determination.

Jamie is an inspired and gifted speaker and delivers lectures, keynote addresses and after dinner speeches to a wide array of audiences.  He speaks with unpretentious modesty yet manages to move and inspire his listeners across the board.

Testimony:

“Thank you very much for your superb contribution to the conference.  Its content and presentation were excellent.”  Elaine Noad, Commissioner, Disability Rights Commission

 “‘Very powerful”

“‘A very inspiring story with many learning points”

“Inspirational!”

“Exceptionally strong message about “think positive”, or being positive is a state of mind. Presentation is authentic!”

“‘Very moving & inspirational”  Delegate feedback, High Performance Leadership Course, International Institute of Management Development, Lausanne

“Jamie is an inspired public speaker who kept all our 330 high school students glued to their chairs for more than one and a half hours.”  Steven Ott, Director Leysin American School.