On Aug. 17, Dr. Jonathan Myers made it to the top of Mt. Borah.
Climbing Idaho’s highest peak would be a challenge for anyone, but it was especially challenging for Myers. He was paralyzed in a car crash at age 22.
“Emotionally, it was a really special experience because I had tremendous help from the therapists that were with me,” Myers says.
A hike that would take the average hiker about 10 hours took Myers and his team 22.
“They stayed with me the whole time,” Myers says. “It was really touching from that standpoint."
Every step and every stumble turned out to be worth the effort. The climb was part of the fundraising campaign “Balance 4 Borah”.
Myers is a physician at St Luke’s Magic Valley. He specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Myers uses his own experience to relate to his patients and realized a piece of equipment was missing from their treatment in the Magic Valley. The Neurocom Balance Master System is available in Boise and Salt Lake City, but Myers wanted to bring one closer to patients.
Myers says the motivation he uses with his patients also helped him get through his climb.
“I didn’t want to walk off that mountain without giving it everything I had, and I say the same thing to patients going through rehab,” he says. “If you leave here after your rehab is complete and you didn’t give it 100 percent, you’re always going to wonder where you would have ended up.”
As for making the climb again, Myers says once was enough.
“I don’t think I’ll be going back to Mt. Borah any time soon,” he says.
The campaign reached their fundraising goal of $120,000 and will soon be purchasing the equipment.
Video of Myers’ full climb is now available on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvCM_DN76Q&feature=youtu.be .
