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The first double-above-the-knee amputee to climb Mount Everest returned from the mountain on Tuesday vowing to dedicate the rest of his life to helping people with disabilities.
Nepali climber Hari Budha Magar, a former Gurkha soldier living in England, reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain last week.
“My main goal for the rest of my life is to work on disability awareness,” Magar said on his return to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
As a soldier in the Gurkha regiment of the British army, Magar lost both his legs in Afghanistan when he accidentally hit an improvised explosive device in 2010.
Hundreds of supporters and officials, including Nepal’s tourism minister, were greeted at Kathmandu airport and presented with wreaths.
Magar was taken from the airport in an open truck decorated with flowers and waved at people on the street.
“We all have our own weaknesses and defects, but instead of our weaknesses we must focus on our strengths, and only then can we all live a better and meaningful life,” he said.
He said that climbing the 8,849 meter high mountain was not easy and he thought many times to stop because of his family.
“I promised myself that I had to come back for my son,” he said.
Lack of oxygen during ascent
On the way to the summit he ran out of oxygen in the tank he was carrying.
“It was the first time I experienced what it was like to lack oxygen. I had a tingling sensation, my hands and feet were cold and I was short of breath,” he said.
He was able to get more oxygen from his climbing partner, but then battled bad weather as he neared the summit, which he reached late in the evening because of the slow pace. Most climbers try to reach the summit in the morning as conditions become dangerous during the day.
He said he saw rescuers pulling the bodies of two dead climbers from the road.
After the successful climb, “I hugged all the Sherpas and cried like a baby, I was so happy,” Magar said in a video released by the press office.
“My life’s goal is to change the perception of people with disabilities. My life changed so quickly. But no matter what happens, you can still live comfortably.”
“If a double amputee above the knee can climb Everest, you can climb any mountain you face, as long as you are disciplined, work hard and put everything into it,” he said.
Court fight, late hiker
Magar was born in a remote mountain village in Nepal and later recruited by the British army as a Gurkha. He currently lives with his family in Canterbury, England.
Hundreds of young Nepalese are recruited every year to work as Gurkha soldiers, who are renowned for their skill and bravery.
In addition to dealing with his own disability, Magar also had to contend with legal issues as the Nepalese government banned disabled people from climbing the mountain. A case was filed in the Supreme Court, which overturned the ban, allowing Magar to go ahead with his plans to climb Everest.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the government halted mountain climbing, further delaying Magar’s plans.
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