Blind climbers reach summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Foundation for Blind Children

From The Arizona Republic:

Cindy Wilhelmi (pictured) and Adam Messler reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in late June, trumping a lifetime of disability.

Wilhelmi, 49, a Glendale resident, and Messler, 29, both legally blind, observed what they could of the famed Tanzanian mountain's scenery from an elevation of 19,340 feet, amidst a flurry of flashing cameras, tears and hugs.

The two were among a group of eight blind climbers, along with 17 sighted guides, who hoped to raise funds and awareness for the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix. The group raised over $200,000 through fundraisers to benefit the foundation's infant care program, which provides teaching skills and assistance to families raising visually impaired infants.

The group also wanted to show the potential and independence visually impaired people can achieve with the help of agencies like the foundation.

Messler said people sometimes refused to sponsor or help the group because they felt blind people couldn't hike.

"Blindness isn't a disability - it's just an inconvenience," Wilhelmi said.

Wilhelmi has only limited peripheral vision and struggles to discern detail. Messler has albinism and suffers from sensitivity to the light, nearsightedness and farsightedness, involuntary movement of the eyes and an underdeveloped macula, which prevents him from seeing details.

Despite their visual impairment, the hikers embarked on a rigorous, year-long practice routine to prepare for Kilimanjaro.

"We did the Seven Summits of Phoenix . . . with a lot of difficulty," said Marc Ashton, chief executive officer of the Foundation for Blind Children.

Along with sighted companions, the hikers practiced guiding techniques, such as ringing bells, following the scraping of trekking poles, and holding onto a guide's backpack.

Many of the blind climbers had no previous hiking experience, and the guides, mostly volunteers, didn't know how to guide a blind person.

"When we first started (training) . . . there were lots of falls and bloodied and bruised shins," said Pam Stelzer, Wilhelmi's guide.

The group reached Kilimanjaro's summit on June 29 about 8 a.m. after seven days of hiking.

"When I got there, I just dropped my pole and fell onto a rock, and felt a tear come up," Messler said.

Messler and Wilhelmi said wintry climates, high altitude and difficulty breathing often tempted them to quit.

"Then I would think (to myself), 'I chose to climb this mountain, but a lot of parents (have) to climb a harder mountain,' " Wilhelmi said of people faced with the challenge of raising blind infants.

Messler pushed himself to continue and prove that a blind person can accomplish the same goals as a sighted person.

"When I thought about quitting, I would think about the families that needed my help," Messler said.

The pair hopes the Kilimanjaro trek will help people understand that the visually impaired community is just as resourceful and efficient as those with full vision.

"If they are trained correctly, they can do anything correctly. Anything is possible, but some people don't want to spend the extra money it takes to help," Messler said.