Eight-thousander Essay Example

Eight Eight-thousander Essay Eight-thousander Essay Sudarshan Gautam has a long road ahead of him before next years historic attempt to summit Mount Everest. The Nepalese-born Mount Royal University student, who has no arms, will be cruising from one Canadian coast to the other to raise cash, awareness and, perhaps, the pulses of other drivers as he makes the journey behind the wheel using just his feet. The inspiring amputee, who is licensed to drive and has done so on asphalt in 29 countries, is planning to pull off the feat as early as this summer.Donations generated through his adventure will be split among a mountaineering program for the disabled, offered through the Vancouver-based Tetra Society, and his own endeavour to scale the worlds highest peak, planned for next March. I like to spread the message that disability is not inability and I hope it will help for our mission to raise (money) for those things, said Gautam, 30, who will meet with sponsors Tuesday to finalize a start date for the cross-country tour. I have been pl anning this for next month, but because of the federal election the sponsor wants to move the project a couple months later. | |Gautam, who hails from the rural Ramecchap district of Nepal, lost his arms at 14 while vacationing with his family in Kathmandu. He was flying a kite that became entangled with overhead power lines. Believing the wire was insulated, he used a piece of iron to dislodge the kite. The resulting jolt badly damaged his limbs, which doctors had no choice but to remove. The physical disadvantage has proven to be of little consequence to Gautam. In 2005, he earned a bachelors degree in management and commerce before moving on to his next challenge scaling the 5,372-metre Mount Yala using his teeth, feet and the aid of sherpas.Through the Mount Everest expedition, Gautam hopes to raise $1 million for Nepalese orphans and disabled persons. I was born a normal child in Gunshi, Bhauduri-1 in Ramechhap district of Nepal. An average student, I enjoyed sports, particul arly, volleyball and soccer while at school. Apart from sports, I felt excited by scientific experiments. Like any child I was full of dreams, hopes, aspirations and passion. The first few of my dreams were to become a pilot or a political leader. A tragic accident, however, turned my whole life upside down.In June 1994, I arrived in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, on vacation. One day, I was flying a kite from a rooftop. The kite got stuck on the overhead electric wires. I did not realize that there were some naked wires. What’s even worse: I was totally oblivious to the fact that the wires carried an electricity of 11,000 volts. Naive as I was at the time, I used an iron rod to free the kite. I always shudder to think what happened after that. My father and uncle took me immediately to the Nepal Army Hospital. When I regained consciousness, I found that both my hands were completely burnt.After a few days at the hospital, doctors amputated both my arms. The unthinkabl e consequences of the accident led to the amputation of not just of my dreams but my whole future! My life became a burden onto myself. The days and weeks after my arms were amputated seem like dreadful memories. It felt as if I was engulfed in total darkness without the smallest glimmer of light. I knew I was alive, yet I was no more alive than a dead body. I could no longer do things that I did earlier. All my friends deserted me. I felt completely isolated from the world.I saw all my dreams shattering into pieces right before my eyes. I returned to my village after eight months of medication. When I reached my village, my neighbors and even my close friends laughed at my condition and others felt pity at my disability. In my own village, I was dubbed a â€Å"poor boy. † Meanwhile, many of my friends and classmates completed their School Leaving Certificate exams. The villagers congratulated them on their success and expressed pity for me, the â€Å"poor boy. † Their pity hurt me. I started facing terrible discrimination.I had not only lost my hands, but also my self-respect and dignity. I had lost my identity of being a man. There was nothing left in my life except for tears and endless sorrows. I asked myself how long I could go on living in that condition. What can I do? There seemed to be no answers. There seemed to be no hope at all. â€Å"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life. † Herbert Otto â€Å"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Joshua J. Marine Time is the greatest healer and courage a genuine guide. As time passed by, I began to gather myself up and was able to muster courage and strength I never felt within me before. Things began to change after I made peace with the fact that no matter what, I had to endure my disability. I knew that if I did not overcome my weakness, I would end up worthless. I had to either prove myself a differently-abled person or live like a dead man. I followed my inner voice and started doing things in my own way. I customized things around me to suit my ability.I trained myself to do things on my own, including brushing teeth, taking showers, shaving, cooking and feeding. The more I started doing things independently, the more I realized I could do a lot of things that physically fit people do, without anybody’s support. Gradually, I started to play cards, carom, chess, etc. I even learnt how to ride a horse, a task many bodily fit people find daunting. I also practiced writing with my toes and later took School Leaving Certificate final examinations. I passed, writing the answers with my toes. â€Å"I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me.It’s because of them I’m doing it myself. † Albert Einstein Success is the harbinger of happiness. My village folks congratulated me on my success in the SLC exams. My courage and consistency paid back at last. I felt a deep sense of delight and pride. Overnight, I – the poor boy – became an icon of success in my village and others in the vicinity. Parents would tell their children, â€Å"Look! He passed his exams despite the disability. You should be embarrassed of yourself. † All this boosted my confidence. I began to believe in myself strongly once again.I managed to free myself from the psychological barriers that were holding me back. Finally, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was ready to take on all sorts of challenges in the world and I was prepared to strive hard to succeed. I recovered my old cheerful self and started getting involved in all kinds of activities and socializations in the community. People in my village began to call me their young leader. I left my village for Kathmandu to continue my higher education. When I arrived in Kathmandu, I made a promise to myself: â€Å"One da y I will claim my respectable lace in my society and the world will regard me as a brave person! † I got enrolled at Nepal Commerce Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal from where I graduated in commerce. While at college, as a leader of students’ council, I advocated for the rights and rehabilitation of the disabled. â€Å"If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. † -Thomas Edison † It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. † Theodore Roosevelt I aspired to have my name entered in the Guinness Book of World Records so that my country would be proud of my efforts.To achieve that goal, I decided to drive a standard car. I visited many driving institutes asking them to train me and sought financial help from many organizations to help fund the project. Nobody came forward to support the cause as they didn’t believe I could do it. At last, I invested my own funds to learn how to drive from a private dri ving institute. On September 8, 2001, I demonstrated my driving skill to approximately 10,000 spectators. The Government of Nepal, Nepal Disabled Federation, Only at Nepal and many other social organizations helped me to organize that event.The demonstration was aired by various television channels and radios and covered in the print media. Now I am capable to drive a standard car with my feet through the busy streets. Driving a car on the streets of Kathmandu for the first time was an amazing and unforgettable experience. After the driving demonstration, I got support from many institutions. I was presented with cash awards and honored by many social organizations and the Nepalese Government. As people started to take me seriously, I transformed from being a poor, pitiable child, to somebody who could help others.So I began advocating the cause of others like me. As a president of Nepali for Nepali Cooperation Committee-Nepal, Nepal Scout and other organizations, I took initiatives to support more than 20,000 people of Mugu district from 2001 to 2004. In 2003, I took on a new challenge. With the help of a driving institute, I learned how to ride a normal (not modified) motorbike. A date for motorcycle riding demonstration was fixed. Unfortunately, because Nepal’s political situation worsened, the demonstration had to be cancelled. I continued to serve as a social worker nd was an active student political leader, but I was not satisfied. Meanwhile, I had been meeting many dedicated people and philanthropists from around the world. They supported me and helped me to plan my future activities. I got a chance to visit different countries and show my abilities. The abroad experience reinforced my confidence and I felt I had attained a new status in my life. Finally, I chose Canada to settle down. Today, I have the potentialities and opportunities to prove my abilities. My dreams, which I had wrongly believed were shattered after my hands were amputated, onc e again started coming alive.I felt capable of dreaming again. â€Å"I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward. † Charlotte Bronte â€Å"Forget all the reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will. † Unknown Now, my only one dream is to set my foot on top of the Mt. Everest. I have had some rock climbing training in Nepal. I climbed 5,732 m Mount Yala Peak in 2005 without prosthesis arms and oxygen. A press conference was held before I went on the Yala Peak expedition. People did not believe that I could not climb mountains without both arms. Some even laughed at me and taunted me.But I didn’t give up my hope. I ascended Mount Yala at 3 am on Aug. 24, 2005 with an expedition team led by the fastest climb record holder, Pemba Dorje Sherpa. I got enormous support from the Government of Nepal and the United Nations in Nepal for my attempt to summit Yala. I am confident that can climb Mt Everest as well. All I need is your support and best wishes to keep up my strength and hope. I wish to climb Mount Everest without prosthetics so that I can be an inspiration to millions of physically challenged people around the world. I’d like to spread the message: â€Å"Disability is not inability. †