Spencer West wasn't going to let a genetic disease that robbed him of
his legs stop him from achieving his goals. West, of Toronto, Canada,
was born with sacral agenesis, a rare condition in which the lower spine
and pelvis don't form properly at the time of birth. Doctors amputated
his legs at age 5. He wrote in a blog post that when doctors told his
parents in 1981 that their son would never sit up, walk or be a
functioning member of society, his family refused to accept it, and set
out to redefine what was possible.
West's latest challenge? To
climb 19,000-foot Mount Kilimanjaro - the highest peak in Africa - to
raise $750,000 to bring sustainable water programming to drought-ridden
regions of East Africa. Flanked by a team that includes his two best
friends David Johson and Alex Meers, the group set out on their journey.
West reached the summit on June 19, 2012.
Author: Edecio Martinez, Ryan Jaslow
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