Mission Kilimanjaro is Under Way
Team Kilimanjaro, spearheaded by congenital amputee Kyle Maynard, is currently en route to climb to the top of the highest peak in Africa.
In bringing together both “able-bodied” and “disabled” civilians and military veterans on the climbing team, Mission Kilimanjaro’s purpose is to demonstrate to our heroes in the veteran community and to young people with disabilities around the world that no obstacle is too great to be conquered with an active, no-barriers lifestyle and mindset.
Today’s veterans face adversity both on the battlefield and at home. Many return from deployment with scars that are sometimes invisible, making the transition back to civilian life challenging in unexpected ways. Tragically, an average of 18 veterans decides each day that those challenges are too overwhelming and chooses to end their lives. Team Kilimanjaro as a whole and its former military members in particular are using the trek up the mountain to show these men and women who served so bravely that there are other choices and that it is possible to overcome any obstacle.
Similarly, children born with disabilities face many adversities.
Mission Kilimanjaro will begin in Moshi, Tanzania, with a trip to the Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind where Kyle and the team will spend time with children confronting the difficulties of living with a disability in a third-world country. The goal of this special interaction is to help inspire children to realize their ability to overcome any perceived limitation and transform their perspectives of what is possible in their lives. Through a donation from K2 Summit Productions, Team Kilimanjaro will deliver $25,000 worth of medical supplies to the school to help make it possible for them to live an active, "no barriers" lifestyle and positively impact their local communities.
The mission will culminate with the team’s summiting of Mount Kilimanjaro over the course of 16 grueling days. With the summit, Kyle Maynard will become the first quadruple amputee to crawl up the fourth highest peak of the Seven Summits without assistance.
The Team
Team co-leader and spokesperson Kyle Maynard was born with a condition known as congenital amputation with arms ending above the elbows and legs ending near the knees. Facing the challenges he was dealt at birth, Kyle became internationally recognized as a wrestler, mixed martial artist, motivational speaker, and bestselling author of the autobiography, No Excuses. Despite his accomplishments, climbing to the 19,341-ft. summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro will be his toughest test yet.
Joining Kyle are Sandra Ambotaite and Chris Hadsall, an Army staff sergeant and a former Marine officer, respectively, who deployed to combat zones and bear both seen and unseen scars from their combat tours. Each has defied his or her own adversity by choosing to push through barriers rather than giving up, and each is ready to share that experience with fellow veterans.
Kevin Cherilla of K2 Summit Productions is the expedition guide on the mountain. Kevin has a tremendous amount of experience in working with adaptive climbers, including a world record summit of having led eight blind climbers to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. With 11 Kilimanjaro summits to his credit, Kevin’s expertise and knowledge of the mountain will guide the team every step of the way.
Rounding out the climbing team are the following:
Dan Adams, team co-leader, director of strategic partnerships and former Holy Cross linebacker, who broke an NCAA record and led the nation in unassisted tackles in 2005 despite being considered undersized at 5’9”, 195 lbs.
Takashi Doscher, team cinematographer, award-winning writer/director, and co-producer/co-director of the feature documentary A Fighting Chance.
Joey Leonardo, team business manager, on-mountain expedition assistant, and best friend and supporter of Kyle since the two were 11 years old.
David Pergolini, on-mountain cinematographer assistant and producer of Tipping Point, a documentary short-film showcasing a life at war in Iraq.
Geneva Templeton, team marketing coordinator, former wheelchair user, daughter of a Navy veteran, and former chief operating officer of Challenge America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving military and their families.
The support of sponsoring nonprofit No Barriers USA (www.NoBarriersUSA.org) and its chairman, Erik Weihenmayer, is a key element of the team’s success.
More information and live updates are at www.MissionKilimanjaro.com
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