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Katmandu, Nepal. As a boy in Wales, Tom Whittaker HAD HIS HEART SET ON climbing mountains. He moved to the U.S.and became a skilled climber. In 1979, a drunk driver hit his car. Whittaker, then age 30, lost his right foot. This was A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW. However, he refused to GIVE UP climbing. Instead, he decided to BREAK NEW GROUND as a disabled person. He SET HIS SIGHTS ON Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. It’s also the most dangerous; one in six climbers dies there.
YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT for more than ten years, Whittaker trained hard for his dream. With the help of doctors and engineers, he designed a strong artificial foot to climb the terrible mountain. In 1989, Whittaker MADE A FIRST ATTEMPT TO climb, but bad weather FORCED him BACK. In 1995, he made a second attempt. This time, illness forced him back.
Finally, in 1998, Whittaker reached the roof of the world. “I arrived just as the sun CAME UP ,“ he said. He WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD! Whittaker MADE HSITORY as the first disabled person to climb Mount Everest. |
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