Hilary Lister (36) is currently sailing solo around the British Isles. Personally, I think that’s amazing but what makes it even more so is that Hilary is a quadriplegic. Using straws Hilary steers her adapted yacht by blowing and sucking on straws to adjust the sails and tiller.

Spending 18 hours a day sailing, Hilary comes to shore every night and has a support crew sailing alongside. But in true spirit, she has asked them to leave her alone while sailing.

Hilary wasn’t always paralyzed but after being diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a degenerative disease at the age of 15, she took up sailing and has broken sailing records ever since.

I’m guilty of sometimes having a pity party for one and can convince myself that I can’t do something when I really can. The next time I’m having a pity party I’m going to think of Hilary. Go girl!

You can check out Hilary’s website here.

They started their amazing journey on April 1 and earlier today they achieved what no other Mum, Daughter team have, they successfully summited Everest!

The guts, determination, fitness and dedication required to do this is something that I really admire. I have absolutely no desire to do anything like this and really do believe it takes a special type of person to take on the challenge.

I worked with a really nice man about 6 years ago who climbed Everest. I couldn’t believe the amount of training he underwent prior to leaving and when returned after a successful climb, I was stunned at how thin and gaunt he looked. His spirit however was sky high. He told me it was life altering in everyway. He had pushed his body and mind beyond what he thought were his limits and achieved the ultimate, standing at the peak of Everest.

On the subject of Mount Everest, I just finished watching a brilliant 2 part documentary called Doctors in the Death Zone. Now these guys are truly dedicated to their profession and helping others. They risked their lives to research the effects of high altitudes on the body and believe that they will be able to provide better health care for people in intensive care, ultimately saving lives based on their experiments.

I think I’ll stick to the dizzying heights of my exercise bike for the time being!