Dr. Chen has a very high opinion of Akron Children’s Hospital, displaying her pride atop Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa with her husband, John Evans.
Soaring 19,341 feet above sea level, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa, and one of the highest in the world. This past September, it was also checked off the bucket list of Dr. Tsulee Chen, a neurosurgeon at Akron Children’s Hospital.
“It turns out it was so much more than just a hike up a pretty mountain,” said Dr. Chen. “It was life changing and really put in perspective what should be important in life, and what is a luxury.”
It took Dr. Chen 5 days to reach the summit and 2 days to descend.
She said the most memorable part of her climb was losing her footing on the way down. She slipped over the edge and was hanging upside down as her guides held onto her feet.
“I could feel the ground below me and just needed the guides to let go so I could right myself,” said Dr. Chen. “But they kept holding on until I shouted, ‘Hakuna matata, hakuna matata!’ which means ‘No worries!’ in Swahili.”
She has plans to hike more summits, including several peaks in Colorado and base camp at Mt. Everest. In the meantime, we’re happy she’s at Akron Children’s helping us reach new heights.
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