A Glasgow man has completed a more than 110km trek across the Sahara Desert.
Fraser Wilson undertook the achievement two years after receiving a life-saving heart transplant in March 2023.
He was diagnosed with genetic cardiomyopathy and underwent a transplant when his health deteriorated.
The condition has claimed the lives of four members of Fraser's family, including his mother.
He completed the Sahara trek to raise money for the homelessness charity Crisis.
He said: "Everybody on the trek had their own personal motivation for being there.
"Mine was to challenge myself physically and mentally, to achieve something that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do – and definitely wouldn’t have been able to do pre-transplant – as well as to raise as much money as I could for Crisis.
"I got the chance to share my transplant story and the benefits of organ donation to everyone I spoke to.
"There was an overwhelming feeling of support from the group and the number of people who said it had changed their minds and educated them about organ donation, so hopefully it’s had a positive effect on them from that point of view.
"This trek has energised me.
"I feel like I can do anything now."
Fraser's transplant was carried out by the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service (SNAHFS) team at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital in Clydebank.
His cousin, Louise Campbell, from Wishaw, shares the genetic condition and received her own heart transplant at the same hospital in 2020.
Both were 45 years old at the time of their operations.
Now 48, Fraser spent four full days and two half-days trekking through Morocco in November last year, joined by 90 colleagues from Lloyds Banking Group.
He said: "The hardest part mentally was walking in the middle of nowhere with no landmarks to aim for.
"I was walking in a group of 30 and our camaraderie kept us all going – we sang, talked, laughed, and stomped our way through the desert in consistently high spirits.
"It was a really emotional journey, especially when we were welcomed into camp on the last night at the end of another long day’s trekking – there were a lot of tears, hugs, and relief from everyone in the group and the feeling of elation was palpable.
"I can still see the desert when I close my eyes and the memories of this once-in-a-lifetime challenge will live with me forever."
Since 2008, NHS Golden Jubilee has been the sole provider of heart transplants in Scotland, performing 271 transplants to date.
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Julie Smith, a transplant nurse at NHS Golden Jubilee who supports the SNAHFS team in providing ongoing care to patients, highlighted the impact of the work.
She said: "As Scotland’s only adult heart transplant centre, we see the life-changing impact organ donation has every single day.
"Behind every transplant is a story of hope, people who are living full lives today thanks to the generosity of donors and their families.
"Fraser’s brave and inspirational exploits show that lives are not just saved, but they are also improved.
"It’s a massive team effort to get patients well again and they become part of our family.
"But none of it would be possible without the donors and their families, and for that we are all extremely grateful."
Fraser has so far raised nearly £11,500 for Crisis.
Donations can be made via his fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/page/fraser-sahara.
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