Prosthetic Industry Team Tops Kilimanjaro; Raises Funds for Children

Displaying the Ossur banner are Paul Jamieson (left), UK sales manager, and Jón Sigurdsson, president and CEO. Photo Courtesy of Ossur. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's legendary peak, has long been a dream of adventurers from all over the world. Mythologized in Hemingway's famous short story, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," the mountain is 19,340 ft. (5,896m), making it Africa's highest peak and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

Within its ecosystem lies almost every kind of environment found on earth: tropical rainforest, alpine meadows, moorland, desert uplands, snow, and ice.

Early this year 16 persons, many from the prosthetic industry, participated in an expedition to climb the renowned peak. They had a goal: to raise funds for REACH, a UK association for children with hand or arm deficiency, and for direct research into VACTERL, a syndrome causing congenital abnormalities, including limb deficiency.

<img src="/Content/OldArticles/images/NEWS_2003-02-26_01/DSC00643.jpg" alt="Some of the Kilimanjaro expedition members were (from left), Nigel Tarrant, former chairman of REACH; Daniel, one of the Tanzanian porters; Jón Sigurdsson, Ossur president and CEO; Paul Jamieson, UK sales manager, Ossur; Nicola "Nicky" Clarke, RSLSteeper Finance Team supervisor (sitting); Louisa Chase, who was raising money for another cause; and Frank Nielsen, an architect and neighbor of Simon Webster, RSLSteeper. Sitting in the foreground are Sanjay Vadher, an accountant with RSLSteeper; and Claire Askew, features editor, Shape magazine. Photo Courtesy of Ossur."> Some of the Kilimanjaro expedition members were (from left), Nigel Tarrant, former chairman of REACH; Daniel, one of the Tanzanian porters; Jón Sigurdsson, Ossur president and CEO; Paul Jamieson, UK sales manager, Ossur; Nicola "Nicky" Clarke, RSLSteeper Finance Team supervisor (sitting); Louisa Chase, who was raising money for another cause; and Frank Nielsen, an architect and neighbor of Simon Webster, RSLSteeper. Sitting in the foreground are Sanjay Vadher, an accountant with RSLSteeper; and Claire Askew, features editor, Shape magazine. Photo Courtesy of Ossur. The expedition was the brainchild of Simon Webster, managing director, RSLSteeper, Rochester, UK. Webster's three-year-old daughter, Anna, was born with VACTERL. "When Anna was born, we contacted REACH," Webster said. "They were, and continue to be, excellent. Their support and advice, plus the opportunity to meet with other affected families, has made a real difference to us."

The trip began January 29. The group flew from London to Nairobi, Kenya, and then traveled overland to Tanzania, The first day's trekking took them through the rainforest, where they passed apes and other wildlife.

The expedition included members from RSLSteeper; Ossur, headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland;, and Ortho Europe, Abingdon, UK. From RSL Steeper were Simon Webster, Sanjay Vadher, and Nicky Clarke. From Ossur were CEO Jòn Sigurdsson; Paul Jamieson, UK sales manager. Michael O'Byrne, CEO, and Andrew Nielson, MD, represented Ortho Europe.

Regular text messages and a satellite phone kept families and colleagues posted on the expedition members progress.

Photo Courtesy of Ossur. How did the expedition members feel the day before the final ascent? A text message reported, "The group are excited, yet apprehensive about facing the most physically challenging 24 hours of our lives. We reach our camp later this afternoon to start our climb at midnight under the stars."

Did they make it? On February 6, 2003, despite dehydration and altitude sickness suffered by some of the group members, everyone succeeded in scaling Stella Point and ascending the highest point, Uhuru. Said a message sent from the mountain to family and colleagues, "It was the most extreme of challenges!"

For more information about REACH, visit www.reach.org.uk

Photo Courtesy of Ossur.

Prosthetic Industry Team Tops Kilimanjaro; Raises Funds for Children

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Prosthetic Industry Team Tops Kilimanjaro; Raises Funds for Children

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