Challenge Trek Team

Mark is a person with Spina Bifida and uses a wheelchair for mobility. He has participated in kayaking expeditions in British Columbia, the Caribbean, the Atlantic Ocean and several US Rivers. He handcycles regularly, and has participated in a 150 mile cycling event to raise money for MS. He has raced in several wheelchair racing events, and is an avid camper. Mark describes why he is part of the Everest '03 team:

"When I was 9 years old, I met a beautiful girl in my class who roller-skated. Naturally, I wanted to roller skate as well. While my mother explained gently but firmly that I would have difficulty skating, she encouraged me to try. I borrowed a pair of skates, placed them on my feet, secured a little help from friends to balance, and promptly found..... that I couldn't skate.

The moral of this story is that I discovered that limitations must never be imposed, they must be discovered. For those of us with disabilities, our limitation have generally been imposed by society, either in the form of laws, policies, attitudes or practices. Going to Everest base camp is another brick removed from the wall of limitations.... I intend to use this journey as a starting point to educate my community that disabled persons defy stereotypes, that we are people first. This will allow the lessons of TE '03 to ripple across North Carolina, Texas and far beyond in ways we can never imagine."