|
The
project “Diabetes-8000” has two origins. Some 25
years ago I read a book by British author Paul Brunton,
entitled The
Yogis. At that time I was 15, and I was so
enthralled by the description of the Indian
subcontinent that going there became my ultimate
dream. Actually, that dream came true sooner than
expected, and I started on my first voyage to India in
1984. A short trip also took me to Nepal, where
glimpsed the Himalayas. This glimpse left me with the
strongest of impressions and had lasting consequences,
because I have traveled to this mountainous area many
times over the past twenty years. I have visited both
Nepal and India five times, Tibet twice, and I have
also been to Tansania. Yet, apart from the ascent of
Mount Kilimanjaro, I never really felt the need to
climb a high mountain. Trekking in the shadows of Ama
Dablam, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and
Chomolungma (Mt. Everest) provided me with a feeling
of great exaltation and I learned to put things in
perspective when I was surrounded by these huge
wonders of nature.
I
was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes on 15 December
1999. The symptoms, which I did not interpret
correctly at that time, had started occurring in
September of that year. And that was the second
genesis of this project.
During
the first months I had problems handling my metabolic
disorder. These predicaments were all of a
psychological order, although there were no
difficulties with the therapy as the right dose of
insulin was soon determined. Yet, I felt like I had to
prove to myself that my body was still functioning and
able to deliver whenever I wanted it to. Sports was
not an option because I had always been quite active
in that sense, therefore it did not represent a big
enough challenge. Hence, I planned my first ascent of
a peak, the 6010m Mt. Thingchinkhang in the former
kingdom of Sikkim in Northeast India.
This
ascent, successfully completed in 2000, was the first
that I tried as a diabetic. There were no
health-related problems at all, and I only had a low
blood sugar level once, before the ascent even
started. While I was climbing this mountain, I never
had a lower level than 75 mg/dl at the end of the day.
This
trip, and the ALD seminars that I have attended, made
me realize that diabetes can be overcome. There are
highs and lows in the daily life of a diabetic, of
course, but I have considerably changed my attitude
towards my metabolic problem. When I said that “I
suffer from diabetes” at the beginning, I now very
consciously stress the fact that “I am a
diabetic”, because an illness that you suffer from
entails many more problems than those that result from
diabetes.
This
change of mind made me create this project
“Diabetes-8000”, through which I want to prove
that you can, quite literally, overcome diabetes by
climbing the Cho Oyu. This expedition and the ascent
of the 8201m high mountain is scheduled for
April and May 2004, and the whole project will
span over three years.
After
extensive research and many requests, I contacted the
American agency (International Mountain Guides. There
were two reasons behind this choice. First of all,
they have already had some experience with diabetics
who were part of other expeditions, though not on the
Cho Oyu, and, secondly, they are the most successful
expedition agency for that particular mountain with 9
out of ten expeditions that actually reached the
summit. One undertaking had to be abandoned because of
bad weather conditions. Still, this company has
managed to get all its members on all their
expeditions to the Cho Oyu back safe and sound.
The
Agenturleiter, Mr. Eric Simonson, endorsed my application and said
that an ascent in 2004 could be envisaged. However, he
also suggested I should go on two more
expedition-style ascents before the Cho Oyu, so that I
would be fully prepared for the conditions that
prevail while climbing a mountain as high as 8201m.
Mr.
Raymond Behm invited me to take part in his “Seven
Summits” scheme, and to climb the Denali (Mt.
McKinley) in Alaska, the highest peak in North
America, alongside the other members of his expedition.
Climbing that 6193m high peak in May and June 2002
will offer the possibility to experience climatic
conditions similar to those on the Cho Oyu, and I will
also get first-hand experience of ice-climbing.
Unfortunately, Mr. Behm has just cancelled this
project of a national expedition, so that I have had
to do all the organizational work myself. I got in
touch with the expedition agency “Mountain Trip”
very quickly and I can take part in a commercially
lead expedition starting on 10 May.
In
January and February 2003 I will then climb Aconcagua
in Argentina, which is the highest mountain in South
America with 6960m. This ascent will also go trough
all the stages that are characteristic of a typical
expedition, with base camps, intermediate
Camp, and high
camp. Climbing this mountain will give me the
possibility to assess my body’s response to high
altitudes, which will obviously be of invaluable help
in the preparation of the final challenge, Cho Oyu
itself. Incidentally, I will design and plan the
expedition to Aconcagua myself.
The
pinnacle of “Diabetes-8000” is scheduled for May
and June 2004, when I will participate in a
commercially lead expedition to try to reach the
summit of Cho Oyu, 8201m above the sea, by way of an
approach from the north flank, situated on Tibetan
territory. This expedition will be lead by the
American “International Mountain Guides Agency”,
which has been extremely successful on that mountain
in the past, and which has also achieved some fame
through the “Mallory-Irvine Research Expedition.”
You
can follow the unfolding of project
“Diabetes-8000” on these pages because the ALD
plays an important role as sponsor and patron of my
expeditions. There are a number of aims that go with
my project. Foremost is the realization of a personal
dream, when I will be able to climb a mountain that is
more than 8000m high, and even before that, when I
will test the limits of what I can achieve, raising
the stakes with each new ascent, despite diabetes.
However, it is also my wish to help other diabetics by
inspiring them and
by making them realize that diabetes does not
mean the end of all one’s dreams when it comes to
physical endeavors. Finally, this project will also
help the ALD raise public interest in their work and
goals.
I
hope that we can share plenty of adventurous stories
on these pages over the following years.
Patrick
Hoss
Update 6/2002:
Patrick reached the Summit of Denali on the 26th of
May 2002 at 7:00 pm. His full report
is here.
In the meanwhile:
Patrick at the Summit Of Denali!
Update 4/2003:
The second stage: Cerro Aconcagua, 6962m (Argentina)
|
