A 12 YEAR-OLD pupil at St Benedict’s School has become the latest to take on the challenge of Mount Everest.
Tom Mythen was one of 12 youngsters to take part in the trek at the world’s highest mountain in April as part of the 2013 Young Everest Study.
Tom, whose father is Professor Monty Mythen and is part of the research team, first climbed with the rest of the group to reach the Namche Bazaar laboratory at 3,500m.
This took about a week, over which they were regularly tested by the Xtreme Everest team of doctors, nurses and scientists.
Tom said: "At times it was quite scary as the path was narrow. We didn’t have ropes so I had to trust my sense of balance.”
No stranger to these extreme conditions, this was in fact Tom’s second trip to Everest for the Xtreme Everest Young Medical study. At his first visit in 2007 he was just six-years-old.
This time Tom climbed even higher accompanied by his older brother and sisters. He managed to get within just two hours of Everest Base Camp at 5,300m, before being struck down with high altitude symptoms.
Now safely back at the school in Eaton Rise, he said: "The trekking was really tiring and a few times I thought I was going to collapse. Looking back I’m glad I did it but at the time I thought the best bit was coming down.”
The trek was part of a study into how we adapt to low oxygen conditions. The oxygen levels at 3,500m are similar to those that intensive care patients experience, and a third of those at sea level. One in five climbers end up in intensive care. The Everest research is vital to help understanding of how these patients might be helped and thereby improve survival rates.
