Welcome Back Dinner at Seri Perdana
Putrajaya, 15 February 2007
Team members from the Climb with PRIDE-Aconcagua 2007 expedition celebrated their return at a reception here today, attended by The Honorary Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. They arrived home from Argentina on 9 February after their challenging attempt to ascend Mount Aconcagua (6,959 m), the world’s highest mountain outside of Asia. This 26-day expedition was organised by PRIDE Foundation (Pink Ribbon Deeds) and led by breast cancer survivor, Rene’e Aziz Ahmad.
cwpwelcomeKLIAinset01.jpg “We are excited that all of the team members from the Climb with PRIDE-Aconcagua 2007 have safely returned. They have each shown a valiant spirit and we are very proud of all of them!” said Datin Azrene Abdullah, Chairman of PRIDE. “I would also like to thank those who have made this expedition possible – all our kind sponsors – as well as the media, whose tremendous support has allowed us to convey our breast cancer message to the community.”
During the dinner, Rene’e and her team members shared stories of their adventures on Mt Aconcagua. Two of the six climbers, Stephanie Chok bte Chok Kui Eng and Captain Zabil Ihram bin Zainol, achieved the commendable feat of reaching the Independencia Hut at 6,300m, only 650m short of the summit, before being forced to turn back due to poor weather conditions. The other team members – Rene’e, Khairul Ariffin Ibrahim, Shereen bte Effendy Lee and Harun Rahman – had all suffered from acute mountain sickness caused by the high altitude and, thus, were unable to continue the expedition beyond the Base Camp at 4,200m.
Even though none of the team members made it to the peak of Mt Aconcagua, Rene’e only focused on the positives that have come from the expedition.
“It’s been wonderful to have had the opportunity of participating in the Climb with PRIDE-Aconcagua expedition, all for a good cause. Having done our best as a team, I would have to say that it was definitely worthwhile! I truly believe that it’s better to try and not succeed at something than to never have tried at all. It has been an amazing experience and I am very proud to have been part of this incredible team of people,” said an undaunted Rene’e.
“Staying motivated to take on a new challenge was already a challenge in itself. Of course, getting all the way to the summit would have been the icing on the cake, but unfortunately it was not meant to be…,” she added with a smile.
The expedition has created a platform for Rene’e and her team to continue working with PRIDE on future breast cancer awareness programmes. “Beyond this expedition, I look forward to reaching out to more people with the message that early detection saves lives and that breast cancer hasn’t stopped me from doing adventurous things with my life!” said Rene’e.
The main objective of the Climb with PRIDE-Aconcagua expedition was to spread a message of hope and inspiration to all breast cancer survivors and sufferers by encouraging them to live with a positive attitude. In addition, it aimed to enhance community awareness and support for breast cancer causes.
The Climb with PRIDE-Aconcagua 2007 expedition was filmed by team member Harun Rahman, as well as Brad Clement, and will be showcased in a two-part documentary on Astro. Eau Claire is the main sponsor of this expedition, and Astro is the official broadcaster. The climb was also made possible by PLUS Expressways Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Powerbar, CoreZone and Air Asia Berhad, as well as Las Lenas, an Argentinean resort.