This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Pathologist defeats all odds, survives deadly blizzard on Mount Everest
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — A pathologist who fought all odds to survive a deadly blizzard on Mount Everest in 1996 shares his story of survival during the keynote lecture here at Hawaiian Eye.
In May 1996, Beck Weathers traveled to Mount Everest with a group of climbers who were guided by Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants. On the night of May 10, 1996, a blizzard descended upon the group and forced the climbers to fight for their lives to stay warm in the freezing cold.
Beck Weathers
Earlier that day, Weathers became almost completely blind from the high elevation effects of the radial keratotomy procedure he had a year and a half before his trip to Mount Everest.
“Unbeknownst to me and virtually every ophthalmologist in this country, there are individuals that if you do [this procedure] and they are taken to extreme altitude, the shape of the front of their eye changes. They get huge vision shifts and they go effectively blind,” Weathers said. “But I wasn’t worried because I knew coming to me in the next couple of moments was the solution to this problem, which is the sun.”
The Mount Everest disaster claimed the lives of eight climbers, but Weathers was one of the lucky survivors. He continued his fight for survival even when fellow climbers deemed him as a lost cause.
The next morning, Weathers was rescued by a helicopter and taken to safety. It was one of the highest elevation medical evacuations in history. As a result of the disaster and resulting frostbite, he suffered a partial amputation of his right arm, amputation of his nose and his left hand was surgically reshaped.
“You learn a variety of lessons through such an experience... We are all of the same clay. If I can survive of which is un-survivable, so can you,” Weathers said.
“What is important is who we keep in our hearts and who keeps us in theirs,” he concluded.
Weathers’ story was adapted in a book, Into Thin Air, authored by Jon Krakauer and into two films: Into Thin Air: Death on Everest and Everest.
Weathers is a pathologist, husband and father to two children and resides in Dallas, Texas. – by Nhu Te
Reference:
Weathers B. Keynote speaker: Dr. Beck Weathers. Presented at: Hawaiian Eye 2016 meeting; Jan. 17, 2016; Waikoloa, Hawaii.