Mountain climber getting a Colostomy.

My whole life, I have always had a fascination with mountain climbing. I did it a few times when I was a young teen with my dad and some of his friends. On one of those trips, I had an accident that changed my life. I told myself after; I would keep pushing and keep climbing mountains. My dad has always encouraged me to keep doing what I love, no matter what the circumstances. I’m glad that he taught me that because if not, I think I would be a lazy person sitting around all day, pitying myself because of my situation. 

My dad was an avid mountain climber. He loved to tell me about the climbs he and his friends would do. Eventually, I told him I wanted to go with him, and that’s when he shared the dangers with me. I had to listen to him very carefully and memorize all that he shared. He told me that the next trip he did, I would get to go with him. I was so ecstatic. When the day came for us to travel to the mountains we were going to climb, I could not contain my excitement. When we finally got to the mountain, we were going to climb. We had to make sure we had all our equipment before the accent. We made sure to double and triple-check as when we begin the climb, there is no going back for at least four days. 

As we began to make our way to the base of the mountain, I got more and more excited. My father looked over at me and told me to settle down as I needed to focus on what I am doing. I shook my head in agreement, and we began to do the climb. At first, it was warm and a gradual incline. After about an hour of walking, the mountain began to get steeper and steeper. At this point, we took a break to tie ourselves together. This is a safety measure to ensure no one falls. The climb went without any problems arising. When we got to the top, I felt like the king of the world. I was thrilled to experience my first climb with my dad. On the way down, things took a turn for the worst. 

As we made our way down, the weather got bad, very bad. I slipped, and the rope holding me to everyone broke; I was sliding down the mountain on my stomach, picking up speed. I acted quick and grabbed my climbing axe to stop myself but not before I went over a very sharp rock that cut my stomach. Part of it broke off in my large intestine. I waited for everyone to get to me, and they called a rescue helicopter. I was airlifted to the nearest hospital, where the doctor told me I needed to get a colostomy as my large intestine was shredded like string cheese. 

Getting an ostomy procedure was not enjoyable. I was devastated, but the doctor told me I could still do my climbing with my father so long as I am careful. I still climb to this day three years later. Following my accident that changed my life really made me take great care of everything I do, especially when I am mountain climbing.