Organ Donors and Receivers Challenge to Climb Hymalayan Mountains for First Time in the World
- The Hymalayan Expedition Team of Life-shared People’ consisted of organ receivers and donors set to leave on December 11 for the Ireland Peak of Hymalayan Mountains (6,189m above sea-level) led by alpinist Pak Yeong-seok
- Holding its launching ceremony, the expedition team members begin training on November 1 for climbing Hymalyan Mountains
[November 3, 2008] The Organ Transplantation Center (Director: Ahn Gyu-ri) of Seoul National University Hospital said today that it held the ceremony of launching the ‘Hymalayan Expedition Team of Life-shared People’, which will leave for Hymalayan Mountains in December to climb to the Ireland Peak (6,189m above sea-level). The climbing project, which is supported by Novartis Korea (President: Peter Jager), attracts attention as it is the world’s first attempt by organ receivers and donors to climb Hymalayan Mountains.
Prof. Seo Gyeong-seok at the Organ Transplantation Center of Seoul National University Hospital who is also the director of the expedition team, which is designed to change social understanding of the organ transplantation and encourage donation of organs, said, “We designed this project because we wanted to improve prejudice against organ-transplanted people and widely publicize that both organ receivers and donors can lead healthy life after transplantation.”
Having an orientation session and physical examinations on September 9 at Seoul National University Hospital, 19 candidate members of the ‘Hymalayan Expedition Team of Life-shared People’ fulfilled initial mountain and rock-climbing train for 6 weeks on Mt. Bukhan and Mt. Dobong near Seoul.
Ten members of the team (7 organ receivers and 3 donors) who were finally selected through the initial training, will start a 6-week intensified training on November 1 to be more adjusted to climbing Hymalayan Mountains.
Kim Jun-gyu (49) who received a part of liver from his wife in the same age, Ji Jeong-hyeok (23) who received a kidney from his mother, and Min Gyeong-bae (51) who received a part of liver from his brother-in-law will climb Hymalayan Mountains with their donors.
Oh Eui-suk (49) who donated a part of her liver to her husband, Kim Jun-gyu, expressed an appreciation for being selected as a member of the expedition team saying, “I want to extend my gratitude to Seoul National University Hospital and Novartis Korea for giving a chance to climb Hymalayan Mountains to organ receivers and donors who have been recognized as patients as it is not imaginable even to normal people.” 
The expedition team will be led by alpinist Pak Yeong-seok who achieved the mountain grand slam (14 Hymalayan peaks, highest peaks in 7 continents, and 3 extreme points of the earth) for the first time in Korea.
The research team led by Prof. Seo Gyeong-seok at the Organ Transplantation Center of Seoul National University Hospital will also conduct a study on physiological reactions organ receivers and donors on high places.