Group of doctors climbs Kilimanjaro
Rise to challenge of highest free standing mountain
Dr. Dharmesh Patel has always wanted to experience a challenging adventure, and on June 28, he began a six-day journey that would change outlook on life and wellness.
Patel and his wife, Dr. Purvisha Patel, joined forces with friends Deepak Karawadra and Dr. Sonal Mehr to trek to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding mountain in the world.
Patel’s journey to Kilimanjaro began more than a year ago when Karawadra, a native of Tanzania (where Kilimanjaro is located), returned from his first trip up the mountain.
“So many people expressed interest in going that we decided to make another trip,” Karawadra said. “We started with 16 people, but by the time we left, there were only four of us, including Dharmesh and Purvisha.”
Excited about a new challenge, Patel began a training regimen to ready himself for the journey that included attending fitness boot camps and running in the St. Jude Marathon. However, no amount of training could prepare him for the adventure ahead.
“Every day, we experienced different terrains,” he said. “You start out with a nice forest and then the trees would get shorter and you would go through rough and rocky patches, desert, before ultimately reaching the summit, which was very cold and the only place on the equator where you will find ice and snow.”
Their final ascent began
at 11 p.m. on July 3. Patel’s group climbed for nine hours, until they finally reached the summit.
“That last day really pushed me to challenge my willpower and determination,” he said. “I’ve played rugby for most of my life and have run in half-marathons, but nothing prepared me for how grueling that last day would be. It’s not about getting to the top, it’s about having the strength to put one foot in front of the other.”
Once he reached the summit and took a moment to revel in the beauty before him, Patel had his picture taken at the highest point of the mountain with an American Heart Association flag. As the board president of the local chapter of the AHA, Patel felt his whole journey tied in with the organization’s mission.
“The American Heart Association’s tag line is ‘Life is Why,’ and I can’t think of a better reason to get to the top,” he said. “Getting healthy is physical and mental. A lot of my patients have the same grit and determination in making lifestyle changes that it took me to reach the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
Patel’s experience also gave him a better understanding of what some of his patients with chronic conditions experience on a daily basis.
“As the air thinned, I found it harder and harder to breathe,” he said. “That made me appreciate to another level what my patients with lung disease feel on a daily basis. It was an experience that covered many aspects of human emotion and physical limits.”
While he feels he will need time to reflect on his first mountain adventure, Patel and his wife are already talking about their next expedition. But for now, he hopes his experience will help encourage his patients to take charge of their heart health.
“Overcoming heart disease takes commitment and dedication,” he said. “I hope that in some way, my story will connect with my patients and inspire them to strive to live a healthier life.”