ID :
34935
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 19:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/34935
The shortlink copeid
10 Korean organ donors, recipients to climb Himalayan peak
(ATTN: ADDS health concerns, donor detail in paras 3, 4
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- Ten South Korean organ donors and recipients on
Wednesday expressed confidence in their upcoming expedition to a Himalayan peak
as part of a quest to increase awareness of the transplant program.
The seven recipients and three donors, accompanied by veteran alpinist Park
Young-seok and about a dozen medical staff, are to head for Nepal on Thursday,
aiming to reach the 6,189-meter Island Peak in the Himalayan mountains by Dec.
20.
"Preparing for the expedition, I found myself changing dramatically. As we
climbed mountains every week for training, I became confident that I can do
anything," Ji Jung-hyuk, 23, the youngest member of the team and a kidney
recipient, said after a ceremony at Seoul National University.
The members were selected through a 12-week training session that involved tough
mountaineering. Organizers expect no major health concerns as the alpinists have
received medical checkups, but said they will pay extra attention to kidney
donors and recipients at high altitudes, as urinary problems may temporarily
occur for some people.
"The expedition team members may be physically different from ordinary people,
but their will is stronger than anybody's," said Park, the first man in the world
to climb all 14 of the Himalaya's 8,000-meter peaks, and who has also climbed the
highest peak on each of the seven continents, nicknamed the "Seven Summits."
South Korea boasts a noted presence in Himalayan expedition history. A
71-year-old woman who started mountaineering after being diagnosed with uterine
cancer, Hwang Guk-hee, and four other elderly women are set to head for the
mountains on Dec. 25.
South Korea has also experienced some of the worst tragedies. Three Korean
alpinists were killed on their way down from the summit of the Himalayan K2
mountain in August in one of the worst mountaineering disasters in history. The
accident left eight others dead.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- Ten South Korean organ donors and recipients on
Wednesday expressed confidence in their upcoming expedition to a Himalayan peak
as part of a quest to increase awareness of the transplant program.
The seven recipients and three donors, accompanied by veteran alpinist Park
Young-seok and about a dozen medical staff, are to head for Nepal on Thursday,
aiming to reach the 6,189-meter Island Peak in the Himalayan mountains by Dec.
20.
"Preparing for the expedition, I found myself changing dramatically. As we
climbed mountains every week for training, I became confident that I can do
anything," Ji Jung-hyuk, 23, the youngest member of the team and a kidney
recipient, said after a ceremony at Seoul National University.
The members were selected through a 12-week training session that involved tough
mountaineering. Organizers expect no major health concerns as the alpinists have
received medical checkups, but said they will pay extra attention to kidney
donors and recipients at high altitudes, as urinary problems may temporarily
occur for some people.
"The expedition team members may be physically different from ordinary people,
but their will is stronger than anybody's," said Park, the first man in the world
to climb all 14 of the Himalaya's 8,000-meter peaks, and who has also climbed the
highest peak on each of the seven continents, nicknamed the "Seven Summits."
South Korea boasts a noted presence in Himalayan expedition history. A
71-year-old woman who started mountaineering after being diagnosed with uterine
cancer, Hwang Guk-hee, and four other elderly women are set to head for the
mountains on Dec. 25.
South Korea has also experienced some of the worst tragedies. Three Korean
alpinists were killed on their way down from the summit of the Himalayan K2
mountain in August in one of the worst mountaineering disasters in history. The
accident left eight others dead.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
