NEWSPAPER CONTRIBUTION 3

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
“THE BLIND MAN WHO CLIMBED EVEREST”
Weihenmayer's life story is one of the most amazing and motivating history that I have ever heard before. He became the first blind man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest on May 25, 2001. But that was only the final step in a lifetime's journey of hard work and perseverance. Weihenmayer was born in 1968 with retinoschesis, which gradually causes the retina to deteriorate, causing him to lose all vision by the age of 13.
HIS CHALLENGE:
When he became totally blind, at first, he was extremely frustrated because all he lost and his condition. Then, he received a newsletter advertising a camp for blind kids to go rock climbing. He thought that was a crazy idea and he believed he had to do it. Reaching the summit of his first climb, hearing the sound of space vibrations and feeling the rock underneath his hands, Weihenmayer knew he was living something special. That feeling at the top of that first summit comes back with every climb he does. And despite the difficulties and challenges each individual mountain brings, Weihenmayer knows it is worth it. Worth the constant fear of reaching out with no guarantees, but knowing it is impossible to turn back. Worth testing your abilities on a daily basis and coming to terms with the fact that you aren't as good as you thought you were.
OUTCOME
He could beat his fears, he created a foundation to help blind people and after climbing Everest, Weihenmayer's team led a group of six blind Tibetan teenagers on a month long expedition to a peak on the north side of Everest. According to him, the expedition was proof that "leadership is contagious and giving to people around us can do great things." Actually, he has a climbing academy, he is married and has a son, he is having a normal life, he can do whatever he wants. Weihenmayer already has plans for the upcoming year. In addition to planning additional challenging climbs and leading another climb with a group of blind teenagers, he is writing a book on using adversity to your advantage and planning a No Barriers festival, which will teach kids how to use new technology in their own lives.


LIFE LESSON
No doubt, this story is a motivating fact in my life, when I knew about it; I bought his movie and tried to read more about this amazing man.
We have to thank God for all what we have; we have to enjoy the life every day with every breath, with every beat of our hearts. We are unique and are capable to get what we propose us in our lives. If we are normal or if we are persons with a disability, we must fight for our dreams and goals like Eric did it and continue making new important things.
Finally, I want to repeat a very nice phrase from Eric:
"What we believe in our hearts is possible"