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As climber Badia Bonilla neared the top of Makalu in the Himalayas, she started to hallucinate and thought the rocks she passed were other climbers. Soon after, feelings of hunger and pain disappeared, and she suffered a “live death,” or an unawareness of her body’s shut down.
Bonilla was experiencing hypoxia—a lack of oxygen to the brain—which is one of the biggest risks of ascending the world’s tallest peaks. Bonilla’s husband, Mauricio Lopez, helped her get back down the mountain and increase the oxygen level in her blood.
“You must reach the altitude slowly by climbing slowly. The acclimation process to high altitudes can take up to three days at each new altitude for some,” said Bonilla, in a special presentation at BWH hosted by the Department of Anesthesia, Perioperative and Pain Medicine. “If you are at the top of Mount Everest, you are as hypoxic as if you are at sea level breathing seven percent oxygen.”
Anesthesiologist Massimo “Max” Ferrigno, MD, organized the guest lecture so BWH staff could hear first-hand accounts of how the body reacts in the extreme conditions of high altitude climbing.
“Badia and Mauricio have to deal with very low levels of oxygen and extreme changes in temperature, including severe hypothermia, which make their climbing very dangerous. Today they have told us how they have coped, both physically and emotionally, with the stresses of high altitude, including memory loss from hypoxia and frostbite of their toes. They are a remarkable couple climbing at the limits of human performance,” he said.
The husband and wife team has climbed Lhost, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum III, Shishapangma and Everest. They described avalanches, wind, ice and the perils of camping. Climbing these high peaks involves repeatedly ascending and descending the highest part of the mountain to set up camps for rest. Temperatures range from minus 20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so being fully prepared with proper gear is vital, as is an adequate supply of oxygen at the top.
By climbing two peaks a year, the two hope to accomplish a lofty goal by 2015. “Only 10 men have ever climbed the world’s 14 tallest mountains, and no women have. It is our quest to do all 14 together,” said Bonilla, who has climbed with Lopez six of the peaks that rise above 8,500 meters.
Ferrigno also praised their mindfulness of the environment while embarking on 40-day climbs. “They really respect the mountain to the point where they bring back everything they carry to the top, whereas some other teams leave litter on the mountains,” Ferrigno said.