Demonstration of Character
The good-news stories are not all that frequent. So it's truly heartening to read of the strength of character and moral determination that would impel two men under trying circumstances to risk their own lives trying to save that of another human being whose condition was so severely compromised she might not even survive their herculean attempts at rescue. That there was a slim chance this woman in dire straits might be saved was sufficient to ensure that two men, an American guide and a Sherpa, would extend every effort on her behalf.A Nepalese woman, identified in the news only by her first name of Usha, was a member of climbing expedition of the type of bare-bones enterprise that charges its clients roughly ten thousand dollars, providing them with the most basic of equipment and guiding them up Mount Everest. The woman had collapsed with severe altitude sickness only 550 metres under the summit of the mountain. She had been left behind to die, by the group she was with.
An echo of a similar event a year ago when a British climber, David Sharp, collapsed and was left to die by his group. What made this event more horrible was that a succession of some 40-odd summiteers passed the cave where Mr. Sharp's life was dwindling but none would sacrifice their own summit attempt to help this man descend to base camp for needed medical treatment, and his life just ebbed away as seemingly disinterested climbers passed by.
When this woman, suffering severe cerebral edema, was found by David Hahn, an American guide, and his partner, Phinjo Dorje, on their way down from the summit, she was too weak to move on her own. They agreed between them to risk their lives, to manoeuvre her down the mountain in her semi-conscious state. The woman was unresponsive, she had no more oxygen left, and the descent was steeply precarious. Mr. Hahn gave up his own oxygen for her during the rescue.
The place where she was discovered is termed the "death zone" by knowledgeable climbers in acknowledgement of the supreme difficulty of the terrain, the unexpectedness of severe weather conditions, and the numbers of climbers whose lives it has claimed. The two courageous men pushed and pulled the woman down the harshly treacherous mountainside until they reached Camp IV where they were met by some British doctors who helped to stabilize her condition.
They then wrapped the woman in a sleeping bag, strapped her to a sled and re-commenced the dangerous descent, dragging and lowering her gradually toward Camp III at 7,300 metres. At one point pulling the woman across the steep Lhotse Face, they watched in helpless dread as another woman climber in the distance fell a thousand metres to her death. Twelve hours after first discovering their charge they reached Camp III.
Mr. Hahn had previously rescued two climbers in 2001 on Everest. He said that it never entered their minds that they might overlook this woman's plight. He believes that he and Mr. Dorje did nothing that any other experienced climbers wouldn't also have done. And while there certainly have been occasions when professional guides have risked their lives to save others less experienced and capable, the record demonstrates that summiteers are capable of handily overlooking the desperate plight of others in their zeal to accomplish their difficult personal mission.
A veteran Irish climber, Terence Bannon, wrote in a recent open letter: "I have been climbing for 25 years, and I've seen people risking their lives to save others. Those who say there was nothing they could do are lying." What this conundrum about human nature illustrates most aptly is that people are capable of sublime acts of mercy, just as others are capable of selfish decision-making that sacrifices their opportunities to be better persons.
Thank heavens for people like Phinjo Dorje, David Hahn, Terence Bannon and others of their noble ilk.
Addendum, 29 May 07
Add to that illustrious list of individuals who celebrate humanitarian impulses on behalf of all of us the name of Meagan McGrath of Sudbury, Ontario. Ms. McGrath is an aerospace engineer with the Canadian Forces. She is 29 years of age, and she was honoured in Kathmandu by Nepal's mountaineering community. It was she who had discovered the dreadful plight of Usha Bista of Nepal, on her triumphant return down from Mount Everest. And it was she who alerted the two others, asking for their assistance. Together, the three hardy souls managed between them to save the life of this unfortunate climber. Meagan McGrath was honoured by the mountaineering community in Nepal for saving Ms. Bista's life. It's anyone's guess why her stalwart efforts on Ms. Bista's behalf were not mentioned in the original news report on the incident.
And just incidentally, Meagan McGrath is the first Canadian woman and the youngest person to have summitted the world's seven tallest mountains, including Everest.
What's that saying? You go girl!
Labels: Heroes and Villains, Human Fallibility
posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 25, 2007
<< Home