Fw: Fwd: Canadian man who lost his legs as a child scales 19,000ft-high Kilimanjaro by crawling on his HANDS for seven days

[Paintal]

>> Subject: Fwd: FW: Canadian man who lost his legs as a child
>> scales 19,000ft-high Kilimanjaro by crawling on his HANDS
>> for seven days
>> To:
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>> Man who lost his legs as a
>> child scales
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>> 19,000ft-high Kilimanjaro by
>> crawling on his HANDS for seven
>> days
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>>  It's a feat most
>> able-bodied people would struggle to achieve -
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>> scaling one of the highest
>> peaks on the planet.
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>> Spencer West managed it using
>> just his hands.The 31-year-old, from Toronto,
>> Canada - who lost his legs when he
>> was just five years old - reached
>> the summit of the 19,341ft high Mt.
>> Kilimanjaro
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>> on
>> Monday after a slow, gruelling and awe-inspiring
>> trek.
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>> Spencer West, celebrates at
>> the peak of Kilimanjaro on Monday, after scaling the tallest
>> mountain in Africa on his hands
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>> Because of the rough terrain,
>> Mr West had to complete most of the seven-day trek on his
>> hands, only using a wheelchair when
>> the ground allowed
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>> Mr
>> West was born with sacral agenesis, a genetic disorder that
>> left his lower
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>>  spine poorly developed and
>> his legs permanently crossed.
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>> He
>> had his
>> legs removed below the knees at the age of three and,
>> two-years-later, had them amputated to below
>> his pelvis.
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>> Medical experts told the
>> courageous Canadian he would never be a
>> functioning
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>> member of society but he has
>> continued to defy doctors his entire life.
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>> He
>> trained for a year to scale the tallest peak in Africa
>> without legs and set off
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>> on
>> June 12 with best friends David Johnson and Alex
>> Meers.
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>> The
>> trek to the top took seven days, hiking through
>> Tanzania's jungles,
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>> snowfields and deserts - and
>> Mr West was forced to make 80 per cent of the
>> journey
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>>  on
>> his hands, only hopping in a custom-made wheelchair when the
>> terrain allowed.
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>> The
>> trio made it to the final approach on Sunday and rose the
>> following morning
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>> for
>> the ascent to
>> Uhuru Peak.They reached the top at
>> 11.15am after a exhausting seven hour hike.
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>> He
>> was supported the whole way by best friend David Johnson and
>> Alex Meers
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>> Mr
>> West's hands were left bloodied and bruised after the
>> trek, but insists the pain and
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>>  discomfort were 'worth
>> it'
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>> Only 50 per cent of people who
>> attempt to scale the mountain make it to the top -
>> and
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>> Mr West described the moment
>> he reached the summit as 'incredible'.
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>> He said: 'The summit sign
>> seemed almost like a mirage.
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>> 'We looked around and
>> realised that, after seven grueling days of relentless
>> climbing,
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>> after 20,000 feet of our
>> blood, sweat, tears and vomit we had actually made
>> it.
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>> 'The bleeding fingers and
>> blisters were all worth it.'
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>> He added: 'I set out to
>> climb Mt. Kilimanjaro not only to redefine what's
>> possible for me,
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>>  but to inspire others to
>> overcome obstacles and challenges of their own,
>> and
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>> to
>> give back to communities, that need our help.
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>> 'Reaching the peak of Mt.
>> Kilimanjaro was the most mentally and
>> physically
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>> challenging thing I have ever
>> done, but in doing so, it reinforced the
>> powerful message behind believing in
>> yourself, and believing in others.
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>> 'So many people made this
>> journey possible for me and I am so humbled
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>>  by
>> everyone's support.'
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>> His incredible feat has raised
>> more than £300,000 for Free The Children,
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>>  a charity which brings
>> sustainable to thousands of Kenyans experiencing
>> drought.
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>> When
>> he was a child doctors told Mr West he would struggle to
>> play a role in society -
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>>  something he has remained
>> determined to prove wrong
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>> Porters carry Spencer
>> West's wheelchair up Kilimanjaro, so he can use it when
>> the terrain allows
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>>  him to give his battered
>> hands a break
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>> Mr
>> West slipped a pair of flip-flops on his hands to help him
>> negotiate the rocky terrain
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>>  during his hike up the
>> mountain, which looms in the background
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>> The
>> brave climber grins as he reaches the foot of Kilimanjaro -
>> ahead of the final trek to the top
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>> Spencer West spent a year
>> training for the Kilimanjaro trek at his home in Toronto,
>> Canada
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>> He
>> had to be sure he had enough strength in his arms to carry
>> him up the 19,000 ft high mountain
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>> 
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>> Rtn. Er. C R NAMBIAR