Paula and all, I hope that you realize you climb a mountain higher than Kilimanjaro every day you get up, go to swimming or tai chi or whatever you do to get past your barriers. I trained for eight months and completed a most challenging task, but the climb, up and down, took one week. You do this every day for your life. I bike. Already I'm very close to being back to where I was in terms of both health and cognition, only stronger and more determined to share Imad's message that "nothing, not even PD, can rob us of our pride and determination to reach the top." I wept when I read that. Someone asked me last night if I'm glad I did it. I paused a long time and said "yes".

Where did the determination come from? Many places I'm sure. But just before we left to tackle the summit at 10:45 p.m., my husband, who was suffering from a horrendous cough and low blood oxygen, whispered to me, "I know you can do this." It was so cold the water in my pack turned to ice. I have frostbite on the end of my thumb. My hands were so frozen that my guide had to get food and water for me and feed me like a baby. I returned to high camp at 12:32 the next afternoon having hiked all night and half the next day. If he knew I could do it, I could.

I see through Google that I'm not the oldest woman to summit with PD. Hats off to a 67 year old who did it earlier this year in 9 days on the Coca Cola route.

Each of your stories of overcoming PD thrills me. Thanks for sharing them.