RA superhero climbs Everest

Have you heard of Jeffrey Gottfurcht???After reading this you’ll never forget the name. 

On 14^th of May 2011 Jeffrey Gottfurcht reached 30,000ft to the TOP OF THE WORLD Mt. Everest but this is not what makes him unique on May 14^th he became the first person with Rheumatoid Arthritis to reach the top of Everest.

Diagnosed with RA at the age of 28 his diagnosis didn’t stop him . He become an advocate for people with arthritis furthermore he is the founder of  The Jeffrey Gottfurcht Children’s Arthritis Foundation.

Everest is like the Olympics of climbing, which many sportspeople aspire to reach. An uphill battle & a challenge many will never attempt but not Jeffrey Gottfurcht. He didn’t let RA take him down nor did he give up on something he loved instead this man did the unimaginable he went above and beyond to the top of the world.

The road to Everest is tough it requires many years of training according to Ian Taylor  the youngest Irish person to climb Everest .The statistics are not exactly positive with 1 person in every 10 who make it failing to return. As one moves from base camp 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 oxygen levels decrease and Ian Taylor describes a basic task as difficult a simple walk across the room can take up to 5 minutes (sound familiar??). At altitude our body becomes weaker we are exposed to risks such as acute mountain sickness, pulmonary edema, ataxia, blood clotting and the list goes on so for a person with RA to undertake this challenge in my opinion is nothing short of amazing.

I don’t have to tell anyone that living with arthritis can be a struggle. It’s not easy we’ve all had mornings when our body won’t allow us to leave our bed let alone move an inch so when I heard a guy with RA was going to take on Everest I honestly thought it couldn’t be true. Instead of looking at his disease as barrier he thought of it as a challenge to overcome. The sheer challenge of Everest is unimaginable just think climbing as oxygen levels decrease, the body becomes weaker it slows down but top this with RA challenging is an underestimation.

So his motivation behind this trip a selfless act to make a difference to the lives of children with Juvenile Arthritis by raising awareness of his charity the Jeffrey Gottfurcht Children’s Arthritis Foundation a make a wish foundation for children with JA.

Some people are born to make a difference & this man is definitely one – a modern day superhero. One man has broken down barriers & given hope to people worldwide with RA . He is an amazing advocate, one which the arthritis community is proud to have.

On a personal note I’ve followed this journey closely & when I found out Jeffrey had reached the top I’ll admit it I cried & cried with happiness. To say it’s touched my life is an understatement it’s done much more than this it’s given me hope that my dreams are achievable now more than ever & if I work hard I’ll achieve them.

Jeffrey from the Young Arthritis Network we salute & thank you ...What an incredible journey.

“There are no borders, no limits and no frontier. Just keep moving, and do exactly what you set out to do.”

–      Jeffrey Gottfurcht.

A details interview with before his journey

More info on JGCAF

Images are not my own copyright @ Nutrapharma

Little things make a difference

Am I living the life I want ? If im honest I feel like I’m missing out on living the life of an average 20 something .. So I’ve asked myself why am I not ? Is it the illness or is it me?? The answer it’s a mixture of both.

What’s stopping me ?? I’m tired sometimes when I’m in pain I lose the get up & go which if left it becomes a routine. I’ve had arthritis for so long sometimes I naively think I know it all in relation to my own health but I fall into the trap of “ I CAN’T” so I decided enough is enough.

Anyone who is “stuck“ in a routine whether they have arthritis or not will become tired & bored so I’ve ditched my old lifestyle & begun changing things that I can’t do.

I’ve become interested in positive psychology & how this can benefit someone with a chronic illness. I’ve surrounded myself around positive people and I’ve really noticed a HUGE change I even notice a difference in how I analyze things. Is something really impossible? Why is it impossible? What can I do to get to where I want to go ? So now my end result to quote a very famous builder             “ Can we do it? Yes we can”

So to bring this into perspective how can this affect my life & my health?! I’ve looked at a few area’s which on a daily basis affect me….

I CAN’T do this because ….

Problem A:

I can’t do the shopping because it’s so heavy & Im tired …..then when I get home I’m simply exhausted so I call the local take away.

So Monday I went shopping & over came my fear of grocery shopping. I struggle to do the weekly shop so usually I pick up a few bits on my way from work because I can’t get carry the bags or lift the basket. So I got a trolley which I filled up with loads of fresh fruit, veg ,& fish. After I checked it out I also overcame the second obstacle & asked one of the shop assistants would they help me bring it to the car which was no problem at all.

Ohhh I felt some level of achievement by Friday I had cooked a healthy meal each evening.  I also picked up a few healthy snacks because I knew I had a busy week ahead so I avoided snacking or becoming over hungry and calling for a take away. By Tuesday I had soooo much more energy but I also knew that Wednesday I wouldn’t be home until 8 so I make a super yummy curry for the following day .

Problem B:

I CAN’T do exercise it hurts my body… well I haven’t the time by the time I get home I’m so tired and then it costs a fortune to join the gym. So join a class ? Well em I’m too afraid to go to an exercise class because of my limitations.

Enough is enough this excuse is rubbish even if I do say so myself…. Let’s get to reality here I’m never going to be a gym freak it’s soooo not for me but I can get fit & healthy which is what I wanna do.

I’m tired well duh of course you are who wouldn’t feel tired when your lazing about on the couch watching tv- my arthritis has nothing to do with this.

So what can I do to change this? Split up the exercise into mini sections I’ve split walking into two parts 3km to work in the morning & 3km on the way back.

I really wanna do yoga class but I don’t think I’m strong enough just yet so I asked my physiotherapist to help me out she suggests I buy an exercise ball to help build up my muscles etc….So off I went to buy an exercise ball. 

Guess what before dinner is prep’d or while it’s cooking I’ve managed to do 30 min of exercises each day for the past two weeks it’s helped I’ve done it all before soaps start & I’ve blasted a few tunes out to keep the motivation going.

I’ve also got the Young Arthritis Walking group on the go so I’ll have more motivation to get going. I’ve  even signed up for Joints in Motion & the Mini marathon so nothings stopping me now because I'm doing it for myself.

Next week I plan on going swimming initially I would like to go once a week. So I’ve arranged a swimming buddie so I'll have more motivation to actually go.

By making both of these changes it’s made such a difference to my life over the past two weeks. I have sooooooooo much more energy in fact for the first time in a very long time I feel ALIVE in the sense I could do anything.  I’ve noticed I’m in less pain now I’ve still got pain but I have noticed a reduction.

So with all this energy I was able to spend more time living the life of an average 20 something year old. 

Like us on Facebook

Email me