A charity fundraiser’s quest to climb to base camp of the highest mountain in Pakistan ended abruptly when he had to be airlifted to hospital after falling ill with altitude sickness.

Saadat Mumtaz, 48, is back home in Portishead in Bristol after a dramatic conclusion to completing his K2 base camp challenge raising money for Brain Tumour Research, after he lost his mum to the disease.

The once in-a-lifetime challenge saw the business owner airlifted from Urdakas – a check point which stands at 4034 metres on the descent of K2 and needing medical treatment after he developed a life-threatening condition caused by the high altitude and extreme temperatures.

Hashim, Saadat and Sinan

His two sons Sinan, 18 and Hashim, 20, went on to complete the trek alone and it was three days until they were told he was safe and well.

Hiking in Deosai National Park with its high-altitude alpine plain and trekking in the Sarfaranga Cold Desert North of Skardu (ranked as the world’s highest and coldest desert) couldn’t prepare Saadat for the 5,400 metre climb of Pakistan’s highest mountain.

The experienced adventurer said, “Around the day before we reached our finishing point, I began to feel unwell. I was exhausted, felt breathless and had sleepless nights where it felt like someone was choking me. I had heard of people dying in their tents during the night and I was terrified that would happen to me.”

Saadat in hospital where he was later deemed well enough to see his sons

He was taken to a local hospital where he received a CT scan and ECG which showed no further cause for concern.

Saadat credits his rescue to a team of military Colonels including Station Commander Zarar Qadar from Taxila, and Tariq Malik and Ashfaq Mushtaq from Islamabad.

Saadat added: “Within half an hour of being in hospital my breathing returned to normal and I felt fit and ready to go back and join my boys. As a parent, you want to remain strong for your children and all I could think about were my two sons, they had no idea how I was, and I was worried about them.

“I left the hospital and drove to the point where we started our trek. It was a relief when I saw Sinan and Hashim walking towards me and the reunion was full of emotion.

“I underestimated the toughness of this challenge and although we did lots of training, the erratic temperatures, high altitude and varying terrain took their toll on me physically. It took a tremendous amount of mental strength to get as far as I did.”

Saeeda and young Saadat

Saadat’s mother, Saeeda Bano from Sargodha in Pakistan, was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma (GBM) in 1983, after spells of passing out from debilitating headaches. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment was deemed ‘too risky’ and Saeeda died five years after she was diagnosed, aged 34.

So far, Saadat has raised more than £1,370 for Brain Tumour Research and isn’t planning to rest for long.

“I’m going to take some time to let my body recover and next year plan to ride my motorbike more than 5,100 miles from Portishead in Bristol to Islamabad in Pakistan, to raise money in my mother’s memory,” Saadat added.

Only 12% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years of their diagnosis compared with an average of 50% across all cancers yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.

Mel Tiley, community, and development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Saadat and his sons for supporting the charity in this way. His determination towards this challenge in memory of his mother is heart-warming and we’re pleased he is on the road to recovery with his own health. Unfortunately, brain tumours can cause pain for many families, one in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour. With support from people such as Saadat, Sinan and Hashim, we are working hard to find a cure for this devastating disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.