A Canadian teenager is preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against Crohn’s Disease, something he is personally afflicted with. Sixteen year old Clinton Shard, who lives in British Columbia, will depart for Tanzania on Sept. 5th, where he’ll begin his adventure.
Clinton was first diagnosed with Crohn’s when he was 12 years old, but over the past few years he, and his doctors, have learned to manage the disease. Crohn’s causes an inflammatory reaction in the intestines that can cause issues throughout the digestive tract, and the rest of the body as well. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or weight loss, as well as skin rashes, arthritis, and more.
Clinton will be climbing as part of a six-person team led by Rob Hill, who also suffers from Crohn’s. Hill, who is an avid outdoorsman, triathlete, and adventure racer, founded an organization called the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society, and any funds raised by the teams efforts will go to support that organization. The team is taking donations to the cause here.
At 19,390 feet, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the tallest free standing mountain in the world. While not a technical climb, it is a long, and challenging trek, with altitude being the most difficult aspect for most visitors to deal with. The article doesn’t say which route the team will take to the top, but there are several and they vary a bit in difficulty.
Thanks to Rick McCharles from Best Hike for reminding me of this story. If you want to be really jealous, check out Rick’s most recent posts to the Best Hike Blog, where he’s been recounting the tales of his adventures as he hikes and climbs his way across Europe this summer. (Yes, I’m jealous Rick!)
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Great story on the hike to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Thanks for the inspiring post.
Put all the petty things aside and live out your dreams. Truly inspiring.
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I agree. Very inspiring young man with a good cause. I hope he does well. 🙂
I'm jealous of the Kili expedition.
One day I must get to AFRICA for trekking.
editor
besthike.com
You'll love it Africa when you get a chance to go Rick. I can't wait to go back. I have my sights set on a visit to South Africa and Botswana when I get the opportunity.
I have a friend who has Crohn's disease. An affliction that really does mess with a person's whole style of life. I shall certainly be cheering on this brave young man.
I have a friend with Crohn's as well, and she has a rough time of it on occasion. Not an easy thing to live with and it really does play havoc with your health.
I've added them as a link also.
Speaking of fellow adventurers in need, see my latest post too.
DSD
Hey there. I'm helping out the Kilimanjaro fundraising team with some communcations support to help get the word out. Thanks for the great post on The Adventure Blog! BTW, the fellow leading the expedition is Rob (not Roy) Hill… but no big deal!
Good luck to the team!
Jeremy Twigg
Vancouver
Thanks for the heads up Jeremy, I made the change in the original post. And thanks for stopping by. I hope fundraising is going well. Should be fun to follow along with the climb.
I wish Clinton all the very best in his adventure. It will be great to follow how hes getting on during the expedition.
Mount Everest The British Story
http://www.everest1953.co.uk
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Journey2Thai
For anyone looking for a way to get reminders to take your medication for Crohn's Disease, visit http://www.TextMinderRx.com. The service offered delivers text message reminders to your cell phone. You can enter up to ten different medications taken at up to four times each per day.
They made the summit!
What effort and spirit.
DSD
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