The adventurous trek to Everest Base Camp, situated at a staggering altitude of over 5,364 meters, is known to test the limits of even the most seasoned mountaineers. But 29-year-old Helen Monai of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, who is battling Rheumatoid Arthritis, recently defied the odds by trekking the treacherous terrain of over 65 kilometres to Everest Base Camp (EBC).
Despite the challenges posed by her medical condition, Helen trekked to the Everest Base Camp along with her husband Michael Mathews to accomplish one of the trekking adventures in her wish list. Their friend Rizwan Mohammed also trekked along with them while another friend Nadeem Ahmed had to cancel the journey midway due to an emergency.
“Trekking the Everest Base Camp has always been on my bucket list. We have been planning it for a very long time. But due to my health condition, we were hesitant to do it. But, after much discussion and research, we did the trekking in December which is the best time to experience it,” Helen told “Open Digest”.
Before embarking on the journey, Helen took advice from her doctor who gave permission after doing a thorough health check-up. “I realised that I need to prepare my body for the trek and started doing workouts. We travelled from New Delhi to Kathmandu. The trek started from Lukla on December 28 to reach EBC which was a 13-day trek. The first few days were fine but on the third day, I started to feel difficulties as the temperature further dropped. My health deteriorated and I faced breathing problems,” Helen added.
They were carrying eight kgs of bags on their shoulders and the real struggle began when they reached Loboche. “When we reached an altitude of 4000 meters, I suddenly felt breathlessness. We even thought of returning. But as we rested for sometime, I became normal. There were thick clouds all around and it was windy too. Though we lost our route mid way, we could finally reach the base camp on the ninth day. Despite all the challenges, I was happy that I was able to complete it.”
Michael, Helen’s husband says, “As we reached the summit of Everest Base Camp, the air was thin, and our hearts were racing. But what took our breath away wasn’t just the view but the realisation that we had achieved something truly remarkable.”
Helen, who is currently a senior cyber security analyst at Ernst and Young, is planning to climb more peaks in the coming years.
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