Sometimes bad health can keep people from achieving even the greatest goals, but 15-year-old Eli Reimer has defied those odds. You see, Reimer suffers from Down syndrome and he became the first person with the condition to reach Mt. Everest's base camp in Nepal. The brave teen achieved the trek which took 10 days, 17,000 feet, and 70 miles to complete all the while leading a group of climbers.
His father, Justin, was along for the climb as well and was stunned by his son's tenacity and strength to accomplish something the rest of the group kept struggling to keep up with. Wow, talk about an amazing boy!
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According to Justin, Eli was the glue of the team and said: "He was actually leading us on the trail and we were the ones feeling our own sense of disability," adding that Eli had the best health out of everyone there. "It was humbling, it was inspiring, just an amazing moment."
Justin told HLNtv, that they did the climb together as a means to gain fundraisers for their charity, the Elisha Foundation, and to make the needs of the disabled known globally. And looks like the proud dad and son duo did just that.
Reimer proved that having a disability doesn't mean you can't complete goals bigger than your body as long as you are committed to it. Justin explains that a child's health issue doesn't always keep them from accomplishing their dreams. He said, "I think the number one thing is for anybody who has a child with a disability or who is impacted by disability in some way to really understand that it's not outside of the scope of really God's goodness."
He even expresses that we shouldn't "underestimate those with disabilities." Eli's life and the lives of those with disability have infinite worth and they can do great things."
I couldn't agree more with Justin! In fact, Eli defied those odds by effortlessly climbing one of the highest mountains in the world. Even I knew someone who suffered from Cystic Fibrosis (a deadly respiratory illness) who managed to accomplish many marathons despite his difficulty with breathing. It's great to see that kids like Eli and others are proving to the world that they are just as capable as other people to do amazing things on their own. And I can't wait to see if Eli has an even bigger goal in mind … say taking a trip to space? Whatever it is, the possibilities are endless!
Image via HLN
