A little over a year ago my brother, Andre, told me he was going to take on Kilimanjaro not only to raise awareness for MND/ ALS but also to share the experience with me. This is the story of how a group of determined individuals challenged Africa’s tallest mountain,  some made it to the summit and some never.  Summit or not, they all courageously faced their own fears, and did as much as they could to raise awareness and £11.600 to be donated to MNDAUK. I asked Andre to tell the story.

The story begins,  

Lives lived separate paths, separate hopes and dreams and not enough time with each other. 2 years ago Peter sat in my lounge and asked “Will you trek Mt. Kilimanjaro with me?” 1 year ago he sat in the same chair dropping the Motor Neurone Disease bomb. The opportunity to share an experience of a lifetime with an amazing person – lost forever! The very least I could do now, would be to complete the experience he’d once dreamed of, to go there, to feel it, to breathe it – to bring it back to him!

The experience,  

Starting with a gentle stroll on day 1 through the beautiful rainforest at the base of the mountain, it quickly turned into one of the most difficult and unexpected ascents over the next 6 days as we trekked up through unforgiving bush terrain, over wide never ending plains, deep ravines with wonderful microclimates, amazing views and a scramble over a solid wall of volcanic rock known as the Barranco wall. Always trekking in the shadow of the mighty Uhuru peak. On summit night at 11:30pm in sub-zero temperatures, we started hiking 1,300 vertical meters. It quickly became challenging to stay motivated and focused on the task at hand. As we trekked in the cold darkness for seven hours being tired, sick from high altitude, and cold we tried our best to keep positive attitudes despite the circumstances. Each small milestone we celebrated, the guides cheered us on saying ‘Piece of cake’ and chanted words of encouragement followed by “Pole –Pole” (Swahili for slow – slow) as we were slowly getting closer to the goal at hand. Eventually, with determination and focus we hit the summit at 5,895 meters. Whilst the elation of the achievement and the sun rising over the African plains was overwhelming, the bitter cold arctic winds that cut across the crater rim gave us good reason to ‘take the pic’ and make our way back down as quick as we could.

Along the journey, I learnt many things from the team, my family & friends, our guides, the porters, the mountain terrain. Whilst every day brought its own challenges, every camp or milestone brought with it its own lessons and emotions. The biggest personal lesson I learned all the way to the summit and back down again, was no matter how tired or how bad I felt because of the altitude, or how impossible it seemed at times, I shouldn’t stop moving forward. Going back was not an option, looking too far ahead was sometimes met with fear or angst. The only option was focusing in the moment, one small step at a time, keeping the momentum going, keeping positive thoughts all the time. “The eyes are lazy” is a quote I’ll remember for life, it means anything you see before you is achievable. If you put your mind to it your body and soul will achieve miracles – said to me by a guide whilst I was cursing a challenge that stood before me.

The lesson, 
Some say reaching the peak was a great achievement, for me the greatest achievement was having Peter with me every step of the way, and the life lessons learned:

• Set your goal, be open to change along the journey!
• Take opportunity when it’s given to you, live in the moment!
• Love & support your family deeply, no-one else matters!
• Find meaning in challenges, and celebrate the small wins!
• Don’t let ‘lazy eyes’ prevent you from overcoming the challenges in life!

My trek was insignificant compared to the upward battle Peter, Antoinette & Tallulah have to take on every day. It is with grit and determination that they have to go ‘pole-pole’, one step at a time. Antoinette and Tallulah are Peter’s ‘porters’ taking on the selfless task of getting him to his ‘Uhuru Peak’. All we can do is be thankful that we play a humble part in his team, to support him on his journey.

We conquered it for you, my brave brother!

“And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear”

#ChallengeALSDXB