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Dispatch
11: Jim
Wickwire’s Departure
September
5, 2001 Seattle, Washington
Greetings
from Seattle. Yes, Seattle.
I
am sorry to report that I have had to leave the 2001
American/Canadian Mt. Everest Expedition for reasons
beyond my control.
Five
days after we established base camp, I walked up a
short hill for a radio call and noticed I was
unusually short of breath for the 17,000 foot
altitude. Immediately, I was struck with the most
severe headache in the back of my head that I’ve
ever experienced. Nothing like this has ever happened
on over 20 major expeditions in 41 years of climbing.
In fact, I’ve almost never been troubled by high
altitude headaches, a malady that affects most
climbers at one time or another.
After
communicating via satellite phone with neurologists in
the United States, it was suspected that I had a
broken cranial blood vessel or possibly an aneurysm.
It was imperative to seek medical assistance as our
team did not have a doctor in camp. After 20 hours of
Jeep travel across Tibet and detouring around several
landslides, I reached Kathmandu where I underwent
preliminary testing. It was recommended that I travel
home for more extensive tests. The Kathmandu doctors
had not been able to completely rule out more serious
medical problems.
Back
in Seattle I was hospitalized for three days,
undergoing a series of CT scans, an MRI and an
angiogam. Although the doctors have now ruled out a
brain hemorrhage or aneurysm, I am undergoing further
neurological testing to determine exactly what the
problem is.
So,
for now, I am communicating with Ed Hommer and the
team on a daily basis. My intimate knowledge of Mt.
Everest will still allow me to help the expedition,
even in the comforts of my own home 12,000 miles away.
I
am quite disappointed that I had to leave the team on
Everest. However, I keep each and everyone of them in
my heart and look forward to their safe and successful
return.
--Jim
Wickwire, 2001 American/Canadian Team Leader
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