Back from slipped disc, Rajasthan nurse scales Mt Everest
A few years ago, Asha Jhajdiya could barely walk. But now, she is on top of the world — literally.
Jhajdiya, a nurse at a public health centre in Alwar and a mother of two teenagers, scaled Mount Everest on Monday. “She reached the summit of Mount Everest 4:05 am on Monday and the people organising the expedition notified us through satellite phone in the base camp,” Ajay Singh Takhar, her husband, told HT.
The 38-year-old had borrowed from relatives, withdrawn all her savings and completed a mountaineering course in record time to fulfill her dream.
“A few years ago, she couldn’t walk properly because of a slipped vertebral disc. She underwent surgery and after a while, in 2015, said she wanted to go to Amarnath. This trip changed everything,” said Takhar.
During the trip, Jhajhdiya, a resident of Jhunjhunu, chose the route through Baltal and managed to complete the journey in a very short time.
“At the end, she received praise from a few army officials for how fast she finished the journey. It was at this point that Asha felt that she wanted to climb the Mount Everest,” said her brother Vikram.
Jhajdiya and her husband, who works with Haryana police, looked for sponsors but without success. “That’s when she borrowed from relatives and also withdrew from savings,” said Vikram.
The family is now gearing up to give her a hero’s welcome when she returns.