Nurses Climb to the Summit of Kilimanjaro

Susan Gabriel and Ellen Clemence

Braving bone-chilling temperatures and battling intense fatigue, Susan Gabriel, RN, of the Cardiac Surgery ICU, and Ellen Clemence, RN, nurse manager of Tower 10BA, climbed 19,340 feet through five ecological zones to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, in January.

“Looking into the crater to the right and at the glaciers to the left was glorious,” said Clemence. “It was an emotional moment when we reached our goal.”

The two joined Gabriel’s twin sister, Sarah Doherty, and her partner, Kerrith Perreur-Lloyd, on the intense climb. Doherty, who lost her right leg at age 13 when struck by a drunk driver, was the first person on crutches to attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro without the use of an artificial limb. She developed SideStix, the first shock absorbent sports crutch with attachable “feet,” which she tested on the climb.

Against the odds, Doherty actually hopped 1,000 feet up the mountain when one of her crutches gave out. She was able to make it to Gilman’s Point, one of the mountain’s two summits, as the rest of the group continued to Uhuru Summit.

“I was so excited to share this with my sister,” Gabriel said. “She is a special person who looks fear in the eye and just goes for it.”

Gabriel and Clemence kept each other motivated as they struggled to breathe at such a high altitude and reach their goal.

“Susan reminded me of all the people who we were climbing for,” Clemence said. “It helped me focus and get back into the trance of climbing. We thought of our patients, and how each step in the beginning was an effort for them.”

The four blogged about their adventure at www.sidestix.blogspot.com