Higher Purpose : The Heroic Story of the First Disabled Man to Conquer Everest.

Whittaker, Tom and Johnny Dodd:

ISBN 10: 0895261995 / ISBN 13: 9780895261991

Published by Washington, DC : Lifeline Press ; Lanham, Md : Distributed to the trade by National Book Network, 2001

About this Item

278 pages : illustrations (some color), mit zahlr. farbigen Abbildungen / Fotos, Zustand: geringe Gebrauchs- u. Lagerspuren, sehr gutes Exemplar. A celebration of the human spirit! Please don't let them take my legs. This was Tom Whittaker's only thought as he struggled to remain conscious. It was the night after Thanksgiving, and Whittaker, a brash young mountaineer who was fast making a name for himself in the climbing world, was pinned in the front seat of his vehicle on a remote road in Idaho. An out-of-control car had just smashed head-on into his Volkswagen bus, crushing his legs. When he awoke from emergency surgery, he discovered that his right foot had been amputated and that his kneecap had been removed. Lying in his hospital bed, he thought, "My body has always defined me, and now all I can do is sit in its wrecked remains, scared, hopeless, and alone." Just thirty-one years old, Whittaker had to completely reinvent himself. He overcame pain, anger, and thoughts of suicide to embark on a new life of success and adventure. His journey back began when he had a realization: you don't need your legs to go kayaking. Soon he was testing himself-and a series of artificial feet-on rock climbs, and in time he was back at the dangerous game of high-altitude mountaineering. Tom Whittaker never let his dream die. And on May 27, 1998, he made history by becoming the first disabled person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. Higher Purpose is his heroic story. Along the way, he takes the reader on his most harrowing adven-tures-struggling to survive in Everest's "Death Zone," free-falling from a rock face a thousand feet above Yosemite Valley, kayaking solo down a deadly whitewater river in Tasmania, getting caught in a rock fall in the Alps, racing to avoid an impending avalanche on the Matterhorn, and much more. K 009 ISBN 9780895261991 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 650 24 cm, gebundene Ausgabe, Hardcover mit Original-SchutzUmschlag,

Seller Inventory # 52928

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Higher Purpose : The Heroic Story of the First Disabled Man to Conquer Everest.
• Publisher: Washington, DC : Lifeline Press ; Lanham, Md : Distributed to the trade by National Book Network
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0895261995
• ISBN 13: 9780895261991
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Sehr gut
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Bergsteigen / Bergwandern / Alpinismus

About this title

Synopsis

As Tom Whittaker struggled to keep conscious the night of 27 November 1979, his thoughts focused on a singular plea: Please, don't let them take my legs. Earlier that evening, a drunk driver struck Tom's VW van on an isolated, snow-covered road in Idaho and shattered his legs -- and his dreams. When he awoke from emergency surgery, the 31-year-old mountaineer's right leg had been amputated at mid-shin and his right kneecap removed. Devastated, he pondered suicide. Finally it occurred to him: you don't need your lower leg to kayak. Seven months after the accident, Tom hobbled down to the south fork of the Payette River, and began paddling. In the years since then, Tom has not only taken his life back, he's taken his family, his fellow sportsmen, and hundreds of thousands of disabled and able-bodied people to the top of the world. In May 1998, Tom became the first amputee to summit Mount Everest. The climb and his inspirational story, as well as his work on behalf of disabled people around the world, have earned him the recognition as one of America's most courageous heroes.