Terry Mitropoulos beats health woes, plans ‘mammoth’ charity walk

An Eltham man was told he would never walk again after being struck down with a super bug and diagnosed with a brain tumour. But the father has miraculously come back from the brink and is planning a “mammoth” cross-country challenge.

Terry Mitropoulos credits wife Belinda and sons Jonah and Christos for helping him to pull through a very tough health journey in the past decade. Picture: Mark Stewart

Doctors feared Eltham man Terry Mitropoulos would never walk again after becoming a paraplegic nearly a decade ago.

But the father-of-two, 44, proved medicos wrong and is now preparing to walk unaided from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Mr Mitropoulos was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010, and he was then struck down with a super bug, suffered a stroke, and lost his vision, hearing and movement.

“I always believed I would walk again, but when was the million-dollar question,” he said.

“I had to restrengthen everything again, from my feet all the way to my head — then I had to put the mileage back into my legs.”

Mr Mitropoulos said the charity walk would be a “mammoth task”, but his urge to raise awareness for “others doing it tough” inspired him.

“If you ask me if I’m able to do this alone then probably not, but I can do it together with those around me,” he said.

Terry Mitropoulos was diagnosed with a brain tumour a decade ago and became a paraplegic. He is now able to walk again and is preparing to walk from Adelaide to Melbourne.

“After all my health problems I started seeing myself sink into a really dark place,” he told the Leader.

“I know how dark it is, it’s so painful, so miserable and you feel like everything is wrong in your life — everything hurts day in day out, morning until night.

“I just want to shed some light on those who are doing it really tough. I’m not a doctor and I haven’t studied this, but I’ve definitely lived it.”

Mr Mitropoulos’s ordeal began in 2010, at age 36.

Over the next four years, he had more than 13 operations.

At one stage, 72 different medications were pumping through his system, as medical experts desperately battled to bring him back from the brink.

In the end, the only drug that worked took a terrible toll on his nervous system.

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Doctors told Mr Mitropoulos he would never regain full use of his legs.

He can now walk, but has no feeling in his lower body. He is still deaf in one ear, and has suffered damage to his peripheral vision.

Mr Mitropoulos’ walk will start in Adelaide on August 17 and he plans to arrive in Melbourne on September 28.

He hopes to walk about 20km a day.

All money raised will go to the Black Dog Institute.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit Beyond Blue or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

TO DONATE: gofundme.com/walkandshine/donate

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