At the age of 24, Hasrullah Azrulkhan (Adam) made it his mission to conquer Mount Kinabalu. He made it all the way to the highest peak – without his legs. Born with polio, his condition makes climbing a mountain (or anything else) 50 times tougher, but he has proved that with perseverance, anything is achievable. He shares with us the journey’s challenges.
It took me over 3 times as long to hike the first leg
Laban Rata Rest House is the midway point of the hike. An average person would need between 3-4 hours to get here. It took me 14 hours. However, it never crossed my mind to give up cause I am crazy like that! You ain’t got legs? So what? Just do it!
My hiking gears FAILED on me
Unfortunately, no proper hiking equipment were ever created for people like me. All I had were my gloves. After 14 hours of climbing, suffice to say that the palms of my gloves were non-existent. Oh, and also, there wasn’t anything left of my pants between my skin and the ground by the second hour.
Learning when to let my pride down and accept help
Because it took me 7 hours to reach the Sayat-Sayat Rest House, my guide refused to let me climb any further unless I allowed him to carry me up. The reason was because the mist was closing in on the peak and if we do not stay on schedule, it would be impossible for us to come down after. So for the last 1KM, I allowed myself to be carried up – the view was worth everything!
Next up… Mount Everest!
Now I know that I’m not just another person with the ‘handicap’ label. I know that I can be whoever I choose to be if I set my mind to it! I hope to conquer Mount Everest one day and I would also like to partake in the world Paralympic Games for kayaking.
“If you can find a way to define yourself, don’t lose that chance. Anyone who has the chance to do so, should choose to do it.”
