ARTIFICIAL KNEE CLIMBER ATTEMPTS EVEREST (Orthopedics This Week)
Greg Paul, a 59 year old Utah mountain climber with two artificial knees, will attempt to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in May. If he succeeds he will be the first known climber to attempt to summit Everest with two artificial knees.
Paul told a writer for Digital Journal, “If I can get to the top of Everest with my Ortho knees, anybody ought to be able to climb stairs or play a round of golf with them. I want to be a role model for all those baby boomers who think or feel they are too old to pursue their passions and dreams. Where there is a will there is a way!”
Paul left for Nepal on March 25 where he will meet his climbing team and its experienced leader Sherpa Phurba Taski. (Taski has climbed more 8,000 meter peaks than anyone else in the world.) The party will climb the south (Nepal) side of the mountain on the route first pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary. The expedition is expected to take 71 days, and the climbers hope to summit during a window between May 12 and May 29 when winds at the top recede.
The manufacturer of his knee replacements, Ortho Development Corporation, of Draper, Utah, is sponsoring his 2014 Everest summit attempt. Brent Bartholomew, president of the company, said, “Ortho Development is passionate about developing products that alleviate pain and improve the quality of life for patients suffering from limitations brought on by arthritis. Greg Paul is an inspirational embodiment of our company’s vision. We are proud to have designed and manufactured the knee replacement implants, right here in our Utah facility that will help a fellow Utahnian reach the top of the world.”
“My knees feel really good, and I’m feeling ready to go,” said Paul. “It has been an intense 16 months of training. Other than the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2012, I have done something related to training six days per week. The closer to departure dates the more focused and determined I become.”