Everest Assault
We ask: WHAT WOULD INSPIRE ONE MAN TO ATTEMPT TO FLY OFF THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT EVEREST?
Answer: TO END POLIO NOW.
Polio is an insidious, potentially fatal infectious disease that strikes young children. It is historically the world’s greatest cause of disability and can cause permanent paralysis …
but it can be prevented, by simple vaccination.
Rotary began the fight against polio back in 1985 when there were 350,000 new cases reported every year, spread across 125 countries. With persistent efforts through Rotary’s PolioPlus vaccination campaign the cases of polio have been reduced by more than 99 percent, but until it is totally eradicated then the threat remains. If we don’t finish the fight now, the wild polio virus could quickly resurge, with devastating consequences.
Rotary has had many champions working for the cause … and one such champion is Ken Hutt of the Rotary Club of Berry, New South Wales Australia.
In 2014 Ken climbed the World’s sixth highest mountain, Mt Cho Oyu in Tibet, and then successfully paraglided back to Base Camp, all for raising awareness for the PolioPlus campaign.
In 2022 he took on another challenge for PolioPlus … by planning a World Record assault and paraglide from the summit of Everest. He successfully gained the first ever permit to legally paraglide from the peaks of Everest, however, a life threatening chest infection stopped him from reaching his goal just as he was making the final push to the summit, after weeks of acclimatising to the heights.
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But his message to the World, to 'EndPolioNow' made it to the top of the World ... that was Ken's primary aim ... mission accomplished.
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TO read about Ken's 2022 Everest Assault go to:
