A unifying feeling for many people after ostomy
surgery is that they can again lead a full and productive life. The Great
Comebacks® Program recognizes these inspirational individuals,
both in their personal lives and in their contributions to their communities.
Rob Hill’s IBD Adventures Team Summits Kilimanjaro
November 2009
Back in early September, I had the privilege of taking five courageous adventurers up the slopes of the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Mount Kilimanjaro, at 19,331 feet above sea level, towers above the African plains in Tanzania. It’s a unique place and it is my favourite peak of the Seven Summits—the highest mountain on each of the seven continents—because of the people I have climbed with there. While not a technically difficult mountain to climb, the altitude of Kilimanjaro is a daunting challenge for even the most physically fit athletes. Many who try to reach the top don’t make it on their first try.
The 2009 trip was my second time on the mountain. Some of my close friends and family climbed with me on my first trip to the summit of Kilimanjaro back in 2003, which made that experience intensely personal because I was able to share it with people who helped me through my struggles with Crohn’s disease and my adjustment to life with an ostomy. The mountain served as the perfect metaphor for the experiences we’d lived through together. Standing on top together was a truly special experience.
IIn many ways the 2009 climb mirrored my experiences of 2003. The people I climbed with were different, but no less special. The charity I founded, the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS), organized a fund raising climb aptly named IBD Adventures to raise awareness of intestinal disease and ostomy. There were three of us with Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis on the team, an Enterostomal Therapist nurse and two devoted friends who have worked hard volunteering with IDEAS for years. Standing on top of Kilimanjaro with them in the early morning on September 13, 2009, with the sun rising over the plains of Africa below us was an experience I will never forget.
I’m lucky that I have the opportunity to visit once-in-a-lifetime places more than once in my role as the Great Comebacks® Global Ambassador. The amazing support of ConvaTec helps me demonstrate that you can live life to the fullest with an ostomy. I’m inspired by the other stories of Great Comebacks® winners and encourage you to share yours as we work together to demonstrate to the world that ostomy surgery gives many of us an opportunity to live a lifestyle we only dreamed about while fighting through illness.
Rob
About the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS)
The North American Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS) raises awareness of intestinal diseases through education and public awareness campaigns. IDEAS provides quality of life enhancing programs for children and young adults afflicted with intestinal diseases and their families. IDEAS conducts advocacy programs on behalf of all people living with intestinal diseases. For more information, please visit www.WeNeedIdeas.com.
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