Mona Patel inspires a group of fellow amputees to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) – Mona Patel, an Indian-American woman from Texas who had her right leg amputated below the knee when she was 17 years old, recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Moreover, she led a group of eight men, all of whom are amputees themselves, to the top of the mountain last year, as well.

Patel also runs the non-profit San Antonio Amputee Foundation.

“I truly did not see myself here,” said Patel, who lost her leg after being struck by a drunk driver when she was a teenager. “I know that I’m here because my accident was a platform that I was, fortunately, able to use for good- for myself and my community.”

The San Antonio Amputee Foundation did not earn non-profit status until 2014 after it had already been in existence for about two decades at Patel’s expense. The foundation seeks to connect local amputees to resources, like prosthetics and provides need-based financial assistance for home and car modifications. The foundation also runs a support group, which hosts 30-50 people at monthly meetings.

“[The support group] is very, very diverse in terms of ages, levels of amputation, circumstances, causes of amputations, and stages of where they are in their recovery process,” Patel said.

“We celebrate each other; it’s just become another family.”

About four years ago, Patel met her boyfriend on Match.com, whom she credits with encouraging her to seek out and tackle physical challenges she’d normally stray from.

About four years ago, Patel met her boyfriend on Match.com, whom she credits with encouraging her to seek out and tackle physical challenges she’d normally stray from.

Before she began her first 19,341- foot journey up Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world – her boyfriend wanted to see how she would fare in a less-elevated climate. George Jahant suggested she first give Machu Picchu a try, which stands at 7,972 feet, and allows travelers much friendlier access via hiking the Inca Trail.

The two climbed the mountain in four days.

“As soon as George [and] I came back from doing the Inca Trail is when my mind started shifting from Kilimanjaro being just a personal goal to including other amputees,” she said. There’s also been a talk about how you could climb kilimanjaro for charity purposes and become a source of inspiration for the many people out there.

With the first challenge behind them, Patel began seeking out the services of a four-person medical crew for the Kilimanjaro venture. Then, she sought out a crew of amputees for the climb.

“Our motto was, ‘For those willing to overcome, we will show the world you can walk among the clouds,'” Patel said.

For a year leading up to the Dec. 2015 trek, Patel assisted in the outfitting of the male climbers with the necessary equipment required for the trip and ensured all vaccinations and medication were issued and fundraised to cover expenses – a $25,000 donation was made by San Antonio-based James Avery jewelers helped cover trip funds for a three-man film crew that would document the Cloud Walkers’ trek.

Patel said the greatest challenge of the climb was during summit day, where the Cloud Walkers were met with gusting 30 mph winds for almost 24 hours of their hike, with temperatures below freezing to accompany the journey.