Amputee who scaled Everest ‘cried like a baby’ at the summit
FORMER Gurkha Hari Budha Magar has spoken of his battle to climb Mount Everest with no legs, saying he cried when he finally reached the summit.
Nepalese-born Hari last month became the world’s first double above-knee amputee to conquer the 8,849-metre high peak.
Speaking to the Daily Express after returning to the UK at the weekend, he said: “When I was about 100 metres from the summit, I started to think about so many things; my wife and family, all the people who had helped me, and I started to cry.
“When I got to the summit I was still crying like a baby. The tears froze instantly and stayed on my cheek.
“I gave the four sherpas with me high fives and hugged them.”
Hari, 43, tried to call his wife but the satellite phone did not work.
He said they had to climb down as their oxygen was running out, but the team stayed up there for around 10 minutes. Hari added: “We got back to the base camp at about 11pm that night on May 19, so we had been walking and climbing for about 25 hours. I felt exhausted but very happy.”
The veteran lost both legs in a bomb blast in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan as a corporal with the Army’s Gurkha Regiment.
On their descent, the team saw two dead bodies that had not been there on their ascent. Hari said: “I knew how dangerous it was but I was determined to succeed.
“I lost my legs but I don’t feel disabled. Everyone in the world has weaknesses and mine are my legs, but the message I want to share to other people is that you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it.”