Featured on the July 27th, 2023 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
- Find out the connection between a local support group for people living with the communication disorder aphasia, a married couple who enjoys mountain climbing, and the Himalayas in India. It's an effort to raise awareness of the impact aphasia can have, here in Southern Arizona and around the world.
An expedition will be undertaken in August and September of 2023 by married climbing enthusiasts and experienced mountaineers Greg and Barbara Leonard.
"High altitude climbing presents a variety of unique challenges, not the least of which is the ever-thinning air and the available oxygen to breath," Greg says. "Both of our climbs will reach altitudes where there is less than half the available oxygen than we have here at Tucson's elevation. Above about 18,000 feet we typically have difficulty breathing, sleeping, and eating, and the heart rate increases as it tries to deliver oxygen to the body. This is why we do our best to carefully acclimate to high altitude and monitor ourselves for signs of altitude sickness."
"I also want to reiterate that the 'High Asia for Aphasia' alpine climbs are 100% self-funded by my wife Barbara and myself. Therefore, all donations received through our aphasia awareness and fundraising campaigns go directly to Friends of Aphasia. For example, the donation buttons on our HAFA website link directly to the Friends of Aphasia webpage," says Greg.
Andy Ortiz, Greg Leonard & Dr. Fabi Hirsch Kruse in the AZPM radio studio.
courtesy Friends of Aphasia
