I'm home from Africa and thought I would share an update. You can see a video of me at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro at nanlittle1 on You Tube. Climbing the mountain was the most difficult physical thing I have ever done. Although I reached the summit, I believe I paid a very real price in terms of my health. We have been home for a week now and I am still exhausted and find that many of my PD symptoms that had been eliminated through cycling have returned. I'm also noting that it is difficult to read comprehensively, a problem that was resolved over a year ago. I'm back on the bike, hopeful that I'll return to at least my prior state soon.

Of the 14 people with either MS or PD, the four PD all summited and 7 of MS people did. Of the 28 in the group, 21 reached the top. The goal was to show people with disabilities that if we strive for a goal, we can reach it. I thought many times of the posts on this site and other people with PD I've met along the way, and feel that that is an unrealistic expectation to put on anyone. I know we can all try hard and possibly achieve more than is expected of us, but few can climb a mountain such as Kilimanjaro and, even though I did it, in retrospect I feel that it was unwise to use up so much capital getting there.

It's quite possible that I'm the oldest woman with PD to summit Kili (65), but what does that mean? Hopefully what I've done will inspire others to aim for achievable goals, but will not discourage them just because they can't do something so dramatic.

It's good to be back on my bike.