The Spanish Doctor Who Works On Everest
Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest in 1953, attempts have been made every year to complete such a feat. And a Spanish doctor is the one who accompanies many dreamers today.
The Everest Doctors
Despite the desire to climb Everest, few succeed and many of them have suffered loss of limbs and even death.
For this reason, it is important that this summit has medical camps that are dedicated to the care of mountaineers who encounter difficulties.
However, not all doctors are prepared: in addition to abandoning the comforts of Western society, they are subjected to dangerous weather conditions, which make life in the base camp difficult.
Rescue operations also put their survival at risk. The Everest doctors are made of another paste.
In our country we have the invaluable work of Mónica Piris, the Spanish doctor who works on Everest, who has dealt with inclement weather and the mysteries of the peak with dedication and passion since she had her first experience in 2007.
A tall doctor
There are people who are not satisfied with having a regular job: they are looking for excitement, dynamism, surprise… This is the case of the Spanish doctor.
Since he first set foot on the Tibetan mountain, he has chosen to practice his profession in the extreme conditions of the iconic enclave.
He has divided his autumns between the base camps of Manaslu, Makalu and Ama Dablam but has now settled back in Nepal. The Spanish doctor who works on Everest confirmed that there is nothing like it.
Monica faces the physical deterioration caused by the altitude and the cold, fascinated by the ability to overcome the mountaineers who decide to face the power of nature.
If they are tireless, she feels that she must be there to help them complete their project successfully.
Everest: obverse and reverse of a coin
The work of the brave Spanish doctor has its reverse. While it is true that it is an injection of positivity to see how climbers exceed their physical limits, it is still true that the highest peak in the world each year swallows hundreds of lives.
Thus, as a member of guided expeditions of the Alpenglow company, he has witnessed how the corpses remain for a long time in the heights, due to the low temperatures, or end up eaten by jackals and other predators.
In this way, he is a witness to the most sublime and the most absurd of humanity.
And in the meantime, while you wait to find out which way the coin falls, the drudgery and boredom of base camp.
Not exempt from cold, take advantage of those hours to design the logistical part of the trip, count the food, the oxygen: in few situations one is so aware that air is vital.
All this to stand up to luck or a distraction. The Spanish doctor who works on Everest sees herself as a kind of soldier, on permanent guard, even when she writes in her notebook: taking a good search saves lives.
The last stage before reaching the summit
The last start is usually the most dangerous and the most exciting. Exhausted, the mountaineers are one step away from achieving what they have been fighting for for years. This last round can last up to five days, in which everything becomes more vertiginous.
The mountaineers stretch their last strength and fight against their anxiety, the Spanish doctor who works on Everest sticks to her radio with concentration so that everything goes well, to be lucid enough and to be able to offer the right solution if any contingency arises.
Managing and even enjoying such stressful situations is typical of exceptional people, who probably know the secrets of what it means to be alive, the physical and the mental.
The lonely hours, the longing, the pain, the need for the other … All experiences with which Mónica Piris lives day by day.
Perhaps that is why he takes advantage of the summers to return to Spain, to Cantabria, the land of his father. Perhaps you are looking for tranquility and security, although not even on vacation you can disconnect completely, since you are accompanied by the best Himalayas in the world.
