A letter from Sebastien…
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006
Dear family, friends and colleagues,
3 days after leaving Peak Lenin Base Camp, I am still coughing out fluids that accumulated in my lungs, my face is still pretty badly burnt by the sun and I am just starting to put back on some of the 15 pounds that I have lost over the 20 last days.
I am so immensely proud to let you know that on Saturday August 19th, I reached the summit of Peak Lenin (7134m). This is still to be confirmed, but the Mountain authorities firmly believe that I became the first Canadian with Type 1 Diabetes to successfully climb Mt. Lenin. Out of a team of 9 climbers, only one other made it to summit as we lost the 7 others one by one during the 2 previous weeks due to extreme exhaustion and / or altitude sickness.
Aside from reaching the summit, the highlight of the climb happened on August 16th early morning, when a major avalanche was triggered 6000 feet above us as we were traversing a crevasse field. As the avalanche was gaining size and speed, we were left with nowhere to hide and the feeling that death was seconds away. A firm snowpack and less steep terrain 1000 feet above us allowed the avalanche to stop, but still sent our way ice debris up to the size of a small car flying like rockets. Miraculously, nobody was injured and once everything settled we engaged in a silent march for the following 5 hours to the next camp.
Today, I thank God not only for keeping me alive, but also for helping me prove that Diabetes is not and never will be a limitation. I have said often that even if I was given the opportunity, I would never give diabetes back and today more than ever I feel this way. Without it, I would not be here, it brought the best out of me, it helped me help others and without a doubt, it is the nicest gift I have ever received.
I thank you all for your trust, continued support and love.
Sincerely,
Sebastien
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