the climb of my life.
at the age of 30, Kelly Perkins developed a disease of the heart, and after three years of treatment, she received a heart transplant.Ten months later,she climbed to the top of half dome,a mountain in Yosemite national park in united stated. and became the first heart transplant patient to do so.
like life,mountains can be seen as a series of difficulties that you need to overcome. to me, a mountain is the ultimate challenge, with body, spirit, and mind all having to work together. Being sick is a challenge, too. both challenge involve bravely facing the unknown, and to conquer either requires well-defined goals and discipline. of the two, of course, I'd rather the mountain be my physical challenge than physical challenge be my mountain.
mountains began to consume my thought. secretly, i wanted to do something significant to help change the image that friends and family had developed of me. i had been cast in the role of patient. in spite of being very good in that role, i hated being a patient and desperately wanted to change my image. i wanted bruises to be earned from sport-related activities, not from needle pricks and aspirin-thinned blood. at this stage, my self-image was as important to my well-being as anything else. if, i figured, i could rebuild my strength and regain at least some of my former athleticism, an improved image would naturally follow.
i set a goal-to hike the 4100-foot ascent of half dome in Yosemite. i was drawn to this destination by its beauty, a beauty not because it was perfect, but because it was imperfect.