Climbing Kilimanjaro for Multiple Sclerosis
Mother and daughter will climb the highest mountain in Africa in honour of their father's fight against Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and to raise awareness to the families of those with MS.
At 5 895 metres, a mother and daughter will conquer not just the highest freestanding mountain in the world, but also ignorance of Multiple Sclerosis.
Marietjie and Jackie van Heerden will climb this mother mountain to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Their husband and father, Gideon van Heerden, is currently suffering from the illness.
Gideon was diagnosed with MS in 2003. Today, he depends entirely on his wife, Marietjie, to help him swallow his food and keep his balance.
MS is an auto-immune disease, which means the body’s immune system attacks its own tissue in the brain and spinal cord, believing it to be a foreign body.
Marietjie says she and her daughters have given him support, understanding and acceptance. They stand by him throughout his depression, aggression and moodiness, but this came with the price of self-sacrifice and frustration.
“The family became more and more isolated as the illness progressed. Our dad was not an easy person to be around,” Jackie, Gideon’s 22-year-old daughter and her mother’s fellow-climber, said.
“But we continue to love our father and I still see him as my hero today. My dad keeps on fighting everyday. A hero never gives up.”
Jackie and Marietjie, both avid hikers for the past year, will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in September as a symbol of the mountain MS has become. They will hike up for four days and take about two days to return.
They will plant an MS flag and a flag of family photos at the peak of the mountain.
“As soon as we started to tell family members about MS and explain what it really is, they started to understand. The family is now becoming closer, because they understand,” Jackie said.
It seems like knowledge is not only power, but also has power to bring families back together.
“That is why we are going to conquer this mountain. To make people aware and to help them understand.”
Currently, there is still no cure for MS.
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