May
21
Two Woman Climbers with Multiple Sclerosis Near Summit of Mt Everest in Lead Up to First World MS Day
Filed Under News, Personal Stories
American climbers Wendy Booker and Lori Schneider who both have Multiple Sclerosis are due to make their final assault on Mt Everest in the next 48 hours in the lead up to the first ever World MS Day.
Climbing in separate teams, they are believed to be the first people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis to attempt to reach the top of Mt. Everest. If she succeeds, Lori Schneider intends unveiling a flag with the logo of World MS Day at the summit (www.worldmsday.org)
[snip]
Lori Schneider has carried a World MS Day banner in her backpack every step of the way and will take it with her to the summit of Everest. “I am climbing this mountain for all of us with MS, and all those who need to be reminded to live their dreams,” she says.
“Climbing a mountain is similar to having MS – you concentrate on taking one step at a time and congratulate yourself with each step. At first I saw my MS diagnosis as devastating. Now I see that it has been a positive catalyst in my life which has moved me closer to living my dreams. My mission is to give hope to others who are living with this condition.”
“I use mountains as metaphors for the obstacles we all encounter in life,” says Wendy Booker. “I want to inspire others – especially young people – not to see obstacles as mountains in their way, but more as challenges to ‘climb’ over and around. We all have such ‘mountains’ in our lives and we cannot let them stop us!”, says Wendy Booker.
For updates on Wendy Booker’s Everest ascent: http://wendybooker.wordpress.com For updates on Lori Schneider’s Everest ascent: http://www.alpineascents.com/everest-cybercast.asp
read the rest via TWO WOMAN CLIMBERS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS NEAR SUMMIT OF MT EVEREST IN LEAD UP TO FIRST WORLD MS DAY – News Press Release | PharmiWeb.com.
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One Response to “Two Woman Climbers with Multiple Sclerosis Near Summit of Mt Everest in Lead Up to First World MS Day”
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I originally saw the story on Lori’s climb the year I was diagnosed with MS, in a Reader’s Digest article. I was tracking her progress but the past couple of years have been hard for me and I forgot. Thanks to this article I was able to pull up another article showing that Lori did indeed summit Mt. Everest in May 2009. Wendy’s last attempt was unsuccessful but they are both an inspiration to me just to be there. I have always dreamed of climbing Mt. Everest but with all of my health problems, I do good to climb out of bed. It is good to know that these ladies keep pushing for their dreams and I am going to now start my next adventure. I just filed for disability. I will be moving to Holden Beach NC to be closer to my family. I only stayed in Louisville Kentucky to work, which I am no longer able to do. I am determined to begin walking on the beach daily with my lovely assistant Olive (a Westie that a friend gave me to keep company). I hope to get in better shape to begin doing seminars on MS at local schools to spread the word and raise money for MS research. Thank you ladies for being an inspiration for me!
Janel
*diagnosed March 9, 2006
Lori’s article can be found at:
http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/45924582.html