On Christmas Day, Chris Bombardier, a man suffering from hemophilia B, traveled to Antarctica. While most of the people that go there scientists, Chris has a completely different goal in mind: to climb Mt. Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica. This is the seventh of the “Seven Summits,” a name for the highest mountain tops on every continent, for him to summit.
After he reaches the top, Chris will be the first individual who has the disorder to have climbed all seven of the mountain peaks. Hemophilia is an inherited gene disorder in which the body has difficulty making blood clots. People with the disease will bleed for a longer length of time after being wounded. They also bruise much easier and there is an increased likelihood of bleeding in the joints or the brain. Joint bleeding can cause permanent damage and brain bleeding can result in headaches, reduced levels of consciousness, and seizures. If you would like to learn more about hemophilia B, click here.
While he is excited about being the first, Chris also wants to use his climb to help promote awareness for the poor standard of care given to those with hemophilia in developing nations. He first became interested in this mission while traveling in Kenya. Here he was working alongside a medical organization to organize a clinic for hemophilia in the country. He also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro while he was there, which gave him the idea to summit the seven tallest mountain peaks around the world as a way to raise awareness.
Chris is expected to land on Antarctica at Union Glacier on December 29th. For Chris, the greatest challenges for the climb will be the severe weather and temperatures. He is an active board member and fund raiser for the nonprofit Save One Life, which is dedicated to helping children with hemophilia in thirteen developing countries. Since Mt. Vinson is 16,050 feet tall, Chris plans to raise $16,050 with his climb for the organization.
Chris always poses with a banner from the nonprofit at the top of each peak he climbs. Almost seventy-five percent of people that have bleeding disorders like hemophilia have no access to proper treatment, leaving them vulnerable. The climb is being sponsored by Octapharma, a company that makes blood-clotting products. Read the original article at bioportfolio.com.
